Deputies Shun Traffic School Work in Dispute : Courts: Volunteer security officers are paid regular hourly wages for one weeknight and a Saturday each week. They are demanding overtime and benefits.

Nineteen deputy marshals have refused to report for evening and weekend traffic school duty at Municipal Court here until they are granted overtime pay and workers’ compensation coverage.

However, traffic school classes will continue today undisrupted, Capt. Bob Murrow, a spokesman for the marshal’s office, said Friday. Replacements for the traffic school sessions on Saturdays and weeknights will be found among the other deputy marshals who work in the county’s five courthouses, he said.

Murrow said other deputy marshals will probably join the contingent in boycotting traffic school duties before May 22, when Marshal Michael Corona will try to resolve the deputy marshals’ complaint in a meeting with county officials and the traffic school operator.

A fraction of the county’s 300 sworn deputy marshals volunteer to work as security officers while the traffic school holds classes one weeknight each week and on Saturdays. They are paid their regular hourly wage.

County officials have refused to grant these volunteers overtime pay and workers’ compensation coverage, arguing that they work as independent agents for the traffic school vendor, Murrow said.

But when the county switched vendors last month, to West Coast Traffic School, the deputy marshals decided to protest, Murrow said.

“It never became an issue until now,” Murrow said, because now “it’s a new contract. It’s a new day. Let’s talk about pay now.”

So far, just two replacement deputy marshals on weeknights and three more on Saturdays need to be found to cover the posts left vacant at Municipal Court, Murrow said.

No one other than the deputy marshals can be security officers, Murrow said, because judges agreed to let their courtrooms be used by the traffic school on condition that their bailiffs are present to assure that the rooms are kept orderly.

Marshal Corona “supports for the most part” the concerns of the deputy marshals, Murrow said.

Corona took part in talks Thursday with the county administrative office and West Coast Traffic School, but nothing was settled, Murrow said.

Municipal Court in Westminster handles up to 1,000 people on Saturdays and fewer on weeknights, Murrow said.

Amanda Brilliante, administrative assistant for West Coast Traffic School, said today’s and subsequent traffic school sessions will not be hampered by the job action. But she would not comment on the status of the talks.