The California Supreme Court last week refused to hear an appeal from Costa Mesa, Calif. officials in a union lawsuit challenging the city's plan to outsource city jobs.
In the appeal, the city was attempting to overturn an injunction blocking the city from laying off more than 100 city employees and outsourcing their jobs to the private sector.
The court also denied a request to depublish the appellate court opinion upholding the preliminary injunction, thereby strengthening outsourcing protections for public workers in cities across California, according to a release from the Orange County Employees Association.
The decision came just days after the Costa Mesa City Council canceled plans to lay off employees.
"Costa Mesa's dedicated employees are looking forward to what we hope is a new era of collaboration and cooperation in a City that has been a battleground for far too long," said Nick Berardino, General Manager of the Orange County Employees Association in a release. "We have some great ideas how to deliver the highest quality, most efficient services to the community. And we are looking forward to partnering with the city council in these efforts. We can do so much more when we're working together than when we're at odds."
The city made national news in March 2011 when it issued pink slips to more than 200 employees as part of a plan to privatize city services.
Last July, Superior Court Judge Barbara Tam Nomoto Schumann issued a preliminary injunction blocking the City from outsourcing to the private sector.
The city appealed that decision, and in August, the Fourth District Court of Appeals rejected the city's request.
