More than 900 San Mateo County employees to strike

The entire 1,700-member union was previously at an impasse with county officials over a previous-proposed three-year contract, which union members didn’t feel kept pace with the region’s rising cost of living and frustration with their current retiree health package.

Including a 4 percent cost of living adjustment effective Feb. 24 and other cost of living and equity increases planned for the three-year term as well as longevity pay, the tentative agreement ratified by a majority of the bargaining units earlier in February and approved by the Board of Supervisors last week was viewed by County Manager Mike Callagy as generous and equitable, one he hoped the union’s Human Services Unit would reconsider.

“We are happy that the new contract was accepted by employees in 10 of the 11 units represented by AFSCME and we’re excited to have a new [memorandum of understanding] in place with those employees for the next three years,” he said in a press release. “We hope those in the Human Services Unit will reconsider the offer that’s on the table.”

Though Ryan Shannon, president of AFSCME Local 829, previously acknowledged the agreement approved last week was a step in the right direction, he noted the union’s largest bargaining unit had yet to approve it and looked to the formation of a retiree health care committee to scope improvements to the post-retirement health care package employees currently receive.

Shannon said the union met with the county several times last week and there has been little to no movement with talks since then.

According to the county’s press release, the county intends to maintain essential services but will implement contingency plans to minimize service disruptions, which may involve the centralization of services and some locations being closed.

Visit news.smcgov.org/news for updated information on any closures or services affected by the strike planned for March 5 and March 6.