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More than 2,000 Contra Costa County workers voted by more than 90% to authorize a strike if a new contract cannot be agreed upon, their union announced last week.
The union workers include those in health services, maintenance, licensed vocational nursing, as well as more than 250 different county classifications. They are all represented by the Contra Costa County Teamsters, which is affiliated with the 1.3 million-member International Brotherhood of Teamsters union.
Throughout the last few months, the workers’ union and Contra Costa County have had contract negotiations to replace their contract that expired June 30. The Teamsters said in a press release they have urged the county to “adopt a fair compensation structure that prioritizes equity and values the people that provide critical services to the community.”
As negotiations continue, the union took to a vote to authorize a strike if an agreement cannot be made between the county and the Teamsters. The union said in the release that the vote participation had an “overwhelming” and “unprecedented” turnout.
The next session for contract negotiations with the county is set for Tuesday (July 28).
In the release, Matt Finnegan, a Teamsters chief negotiator, said the union hopes to reach a fair agreement that addresses workers’ concerns before having to resort to a strike that would impact services countywide.
“Contra Costa County has consistently lagged behind neighboring jurisdictions when it comes to compensation,” Finnegan said in a statement. “We are simply asking the county to implement a long-term plan to address these inequities to ensure that the best qualified employees can afford to continue to serve the public in the county they love.”
Contra Costa County did not immediately respond for comment.
The vote to authorize a strike comes one year after several strikes in multiple Bay Area municipalities in July 2025. On July 8, 2025, workers started a strike amid contract negotiations between the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and Republic Services, the second-largest waste management company in the country.
In west Contra Costa County, Republic Services ran limited trash collection routes before eventually returning to regular scheduled service.
– Story by Kelcie Lee, Bay City News Service
