Deputies Get Deadline on Prisoner Delivery

Judges throughout Orange County on Monday compiled a list of more than 50 prisoners they want delivered to court by 9 a.m. today despite a 5-day-old work slowdown by sheriff’s deputies involved in a contract dispute.

But officials for both the Sheriff’s Department and the deputies union expressed doubt that the deadline could be met in the face of the job action. And a union spokesman renewed earlier threats of a strike or a walkout, despite court rulings against such actions by public employees.

On Monday, seven prisoners involved in criminal trials were delivered specially to the courts by 9 a.m, but the work slowdown once again caused the normal transport buses to run as much as six hours behind schedule, Marshal James C. Byham said.

Throughout the day, Byham said his officers were collecting lists from Superior and Municipal Court judges of about 50 priority prisoners who required special transport today. However, a spokesman for the Sheriff’s Department said it was unclear just how many prisoners might be delivered to the courts by 9 a.m. Lt. Richard J. Olson said he did not know whether management personnel would be used or whether the special schedules could be accommodated by rerouting buses.

Robert MacLeod, general manager of the Assn. of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs, also said he did not believe that so many prisoners could reach the courts by 9 a.m. during the work slowdown.

Deputies began their job action last Tuesday after negotiations with the county over higher wages broke off.

Union leaders said the action was escalated for the second time on Monday. This time it was expanded to include about 147 deputies who handle prisoners at two branch jails and at the women’s jail.

Previously, the slowdown had been conducted by the 48 deputies assigned to transport the prisoners, and about 166 officers working in the central men’s jail. There are 1,100 members of the sheriffs union.

The union leaders said they have avoided spreading the job action to areas such as patrol divisions so that it will not directly impact the public. On Monday, however, MacLeod repeated a threat that the union might still conduct a strike or a walkout.

While court rulings prevent public employees from conducting job actions that jeopardize public safety, MacLeod said he believed that a strike or a walkout could be conducted without violating the law.

Unless the county offers another wage proposal, MacLeod said the union would once again escalate its job action either late this week or early next week.

Also Monday, South Orange County Municipal Judge Pamela L. Iles once again ordered sheriff’s deputies driving the prisoner transport buses to remain in her courtroom until she was finished with court business.

The bus arrived at the South Court just before 3 p.m., more than six hours behind its normal schedule.

On Friday, Iles also ordered the bus detained, even though it had been scheduled to transport other prisoners at the time. Iles said she is concerned that the prisoners are suffering unnecessary hardship during the slowdown because they are forced to sit in uncomfortable holding cells without food for long periods.

In other courtrooms, judges and administrators also reported late sessions and long hours because of the slowdown. They said, however, that court cases were not backing up. It was just taking longer to finish the day’s work.