City workers from Escondido held a demonstration outside of City Hall on Wednesday.
Their union contract expired in June and they are frustrated that the city is rejecting what they call a reasonable proposal.
"The union understands the state of the city's fiscal condition. Because of that, it proposed a modest cost of living increase to offset the recent wage erosion caused by consecutive years of skyrocketing inflation," said Neil Sholander, the vice president of Teamsters Local 911. "The union also proposed the city allocate a certain portion of the uncommitted federal relief funds toward its essential workers, which do not add anything to the city’s pension obligation. The city has rejected those reasonable proposals in their entireties."
Teamsters Local 911 represents more than 200 city of Escondido employees in administrative, clerical, engineering, maintenance and operations positions. Some of the employees are on call at all times and worked through the pandemic to keep the city maintained and operating.
Alex Cruz, a senior street maintenance technician, says in his 30-year employment with the city, this is the first time negotiations have dragged this long.
"We have no direction, no guidance from the city council. No one is able to make a decision on their own. It's just like what are we doing here, what's going on," Cruz said. "We're no more important than police and fire. We all have our position but a lot of us, the majority of us, we're the backbone ... We're a part of the pie."
Other workers at the rally said the city workforce is understaffed and some workers are leaving for better paying jobs.
"Guys are jumping on overtime because they need the money. Gas has gone up ... you go to the grocery store and same thing," Cruz said. "We're just making that dollar stretch."
The rally comes as the city of Escondido faces a $10 million budget deficit over the next five years.
While the union acknowledges the city's deficit, they say that is largely the result of non-personnel decisions made by city management and elected officials.
In response to the union's claims, the city of Escondido sent the following statement:
"The City of Escondido has been working diligently to increase efficiencies amid a challenging financial future. We recognize all employees and the hard work they do every day to keep Escondido running. City leadership is working to find a solution that creates a positive working environment and to reach an agreement with Teamsters, while still addressing the $10 million structural budget deficit the City is facing which does not include millions of dollars in deferred maintenance, unfunded vehicle replacements, facility repairs, and infrastructure needs. This task is incredibly challenging, and these negotiations are a high priority."
Contract negotiations will continue next week.
