Deputies, 2 Other County Groups Move Toward Pact

In what could be a major breakthrough in Los Angeles County’s efforts to forestall a general strike by its public employees, the county reached tentative contract agreements Friday with three of 21 employee groups, including the powerful deputy sheriff’s union.

The county also settled on a fringe benefit package early Friday morning with the Coalition of County Unions, representing 10 of the employee unions. Those unions will continue bargaining separately with the county on wages and working conditions.

In addition to the tentative settlement with the 3,850-member Assn. for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, the county also struck wage and fringe benefit agreements with the Joint Council of Interns and Residents of Los Angeles County--which represents about 1,500 doctors at three county hospitals--as well as with another union representing 400 security officers.

Ratification Due

The tentative settlements must be ratified by the Board of Supervisors and the memberships of the unions involved. But union leaders and management negotiators expressed confidence that both sides will vote to accept the three wage packages and the fringe benefit agreement. Terms of the wage settlement were not disclosed.

The agreements came a day after members of the largest county employee union, Service Employees International Union Local 660, voted overwhelmingly to authorize its leadership to call a strike if no settlement is reached by midnight Sept. 30.

Exactly what impact Friday’s developments will have on talks with Local 660, which represents about 40,000 of the county’s 71,000 workers, was uncertain. Local 660 General Manager Phil Giarrizzo could not be reached for comment.

Local 660’s membership has been the most vocal since its contract expired three weeks ago. On Friday, for example, in the fifth major sickout in two weeks, 653 welfare workers represented by Local 660 stayed off their jobs to protest the stalled talks. In all, nearly 4,000 workers have engaged in one-day sickouts, according to county officials.

Before the settlements were announced, however, Giarrizzo said he was urging his members to “cool it” next week and remain on the job.

At least one other local union, SEIU’s Local 535, which represents about 1,600 social workers and child-care workers, is planning a one-day walkout Tuesday to protest rising caseloads and poor salary offers. A union spokeswoman, Teresa Conrow, said the walkout was authorized Sept. 12 and could affect 27 facilities countywide.

The settlement with the deputies’ union was considered crucial by the county. Management negotiators had predicted an early agreement with the deputies, who have traditionally received the highest pay increases in labor negotiations. Their settlements tend to establish a wage ceiling for other employee groups.

Deputies Had Balked

But the deputies had balked at county offers and their contract, like those of the county’s other 20 unions, expired Aug. 31. County negotiators privately said they were worried that the deputies might engage in a major job action that could have a ripple effect countywide.

The deputies’ group had scheduled a strike authorization vote today at California State University, Los Angeles. Association President Les Robbins said the meeting will still be held, but will be used to inform members of tentative settlement terms. A final ratification vote will not be held for at least a week, Robbins said.

Robbins said he was “pleased with the settlement. It will move us up substantially in relation to other police organizations.”

He also said he believed that the union’s settlement would trigger a movement to settle by other employee groups.

“I would imagine you would see a majority of the unions settle within the next few days,” he said.

Vote on Fringe Package

Members of the 10 unions that form the coalition are expected to vote on their fringe benefit package over the next couple of weeks, according to Joseph Wetzler, the coalition chairman. The fringe package was a sensitive topic this year because the county was asking the unions to give up holidays and sick leave benefits.

On the fringe benefit terms, a source close to the negotiations said the unions agreed to give up a floating holiday and also consented to a two-tiered sick leave provision. The latter section would grant future county employees the same number of sick leave days as current employees, but only after they first worked for several years.