No deal: Solvang staffers strike after rejecting City Council’s ‘last, best, and final’ pay raise offer

Unionized Solvang city employees made history in mid-September — though not the kind anyone in the tiny Danish-themed village hoped for. Roughly 30 workers represented by Teamsters Local 986 walked off the job on Sept. 15, launching the first labor strike of its kind in the city's history after rejecting what officials called their "last, best, and final" pay raise offer, the Santa Maria Sun reported.

The walkout began the morning after Solvang's City Council voted unanimously on Sept. 14 to approve a package of consecutive annual raises capped at 4 percent over the next three years. Union members had asked for raises of up to 6 percent per year over the same period. The strike was still ongoing as of Sept. 22, stretching through the village's signature Danish Days festival weekend.

For Santa Maria residents, the dispute in the Santa Ynez Valley is more than a neighboring town's labor spat. Solvang is a regional tourism engine that draws visitors from across the Central Coast, and the workers on the picket line — public works crews, an engineering technician, and the city's sole code enforcement officer — are the people who keep the village's water systems, streets, and signage functioning. When those services strain, the effects ripple across the 805.

What the workers do — and what happens when they stop

On the picket line along Mission Drive on Sept. 16, Public Works employee Christian Wright told the Sun that if he had reported to work that day, he would have spent it installing Danish Days banners at heights reachable only by bucket truck, along with other signage for the annual festival.

Engineering technician Cole Phillips, who began his 8 a.m. shift Sept. 15 before joining roughly 30 colleagues on strike, said he walked his supervisor through his daily tasks first — he didn't want to "leave her hanging." Phillips' responsibilities include overseeing dig alert intake after reported water leaks and other incidents within city limits that may require excavation.

"My job is very quiet. You don't notice it. But their job," Phillips told the Sun, gesturing toward peers near the Solvang Park gazebo, "if they're not out here doing things, you will notice it right away. Things will stop working."

Jennifer Calbillo, Solvang's only code enforcement officer, said she was unsure who was covering her duties during the strike — possibly her boss, "but he's also doing three other jobs at the moment." Her workload includes roughly 40 open code enforcement cases.

A pay dispute with a visibility problem

At the heart of the disagreement is a perception among rank-and-file employees that Solvang's upper management has fared better in recent compensation decisions. Phillips said his "main gripe" is that management received "reasonable pay raises" while unionized staff "have not."

He also faulted city leadership for what he described as a lack of engagement with frontline workers. "Not a single council member or city manager over my five years of working here actually sat down to get to know us or shadow us," Phillips said.

That critique was echoed by Jeff Lee, a business representative for Teamsters Local 986, who said that in his experience negotiating with city governments across Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, he has rarely encountered a council as "unwilling" to speak with him as Solvang's current body.

"We've heard that messages have gone out to the council members not to communicate with us or staff while we try to work this out," Lee said. "We've made attempts to speak with council members. … They'd pick up the phone but weren't interested in meeting or talking."

The city's response

Solvang City Manager Randy Murphy, responding by email, said the city's approach to communications follows established practice. "Solvang has had a long-standing, productive working relationship with Teamsters Local 986," Murphy wrote, noting that the parties had previously agreed that off-table communications go through each side's chief negotiator — a practice that "remains in place today."

The city's chief negotiator "remains available for any additional conversations they may wish to have," Murphy added in a Sept. 17 email. Assistant City Attorney Dave Fleishman characterized the council-approved terms as the city's "last, best, and final" offer.

Asked about service impacts during Danish Days, Murphy said the city "arranged for additional services" to support the weekend-long festivities, allowing residents and visitors to "look forward to a full Danish Days celebration."

A parade float with a message

The strike did not keep union members away from Danish Days — they joined it. On Sept. 19, striking employees participated in the festival's Saturday parade with their own float, according to the Sun. Bright labels on the truck called out each Solvang council member by name.

Some workers on the picket line were joined by family members, including one employee's child holding a sign reading, "My dad works harder."

What comes next

As of Sept. 22, no resolution had been announced, and the strike was ongoing. The divide remains significant: union members sought up to 6 percent annual raises over three years; the council's imposed offer caps them at 4 percent annually. With the union representing Solvang workers for more than two decades without a prior strike, the rupture marks a notable shift in a labor relationship both sides had previously described as productive.

For Solvang residents and Central Coast visitors alike, the practical question is how long essential services — code enforcement, dig alerts, streets and signage — can run on a skeleton crew of non-unionized department heads. Solvang's staff includes about 10 non-unionized department heads, according to the Sun.

Neither the city nor the union has publicly detailed further bargaining sessions. Murphy's statement that the chief negotiator remains available suggests the door to talks is at least formally open. Whether either side walks through it — and how quickly — will determine whether Solvang's first citywide labor strike is also its last.