On May 20, 2025, UPE met with Merced County to discuss changes to the Office Assistant (OA) job classifications. The County has made revisions to the classification specifications for Office Assistant positions. The classification for OA I has now been merged into OA II.
This change was the result of a previous meet-and-confer in November regarding the minimum wage, where the County proposed eliminating the OA I classification and merging it into OA II. OA I employees were transitioned into the OA II role, and their salaries were adjusted to meet the new minimum wage requirement. The job descriptions and expectations for both classifications are now aligned.
There have been no changes to the day-to-day duties being performed, and no additional responsibilities have been added as part of this update. The updated description no longer includes language that separates the two levels. For example, the previous wording described OA I as “the entry-level classification” performing “simple, routine or repetitive” tasks under close supervision. At the same time, OA II was referred to as “the journey level,” performing “more difficult and responsible” office work. This distinction has been removed from the revised documents. The salary listed now reflects the OA II pay range.
Moving forward, qualifying for the OA II classification is based on one year of full-time clerical experience in an office environment. UPE will continue to review and monitor their impact on members. If you have any questions or concerns, please get in touch with your UPE representative.
UPE WOULD LIKE TO THANK UPE MERCED COUNTY UNIT 3 GOVERNING BOARD MEMBERS CARMELITA RODRIGUEZ, MELISA HERNANDEZ, AND LISA SYKES FOR THEIR ADVOCACY AND PARTICIPATION.
