BUENA PARK : Police Group Files Lawsuit Against City

The Buena Park Police Assn. has filed a lawsuit against the city over a dispute in its members’ compensation for sick leave and holidays.

In addition, the Buena Park Firemen’s Assn. is about to file a lawsuit against the city on behalf of a firefighter who alleges that he is not being paid a bonus for earning a college degree.

In its lawsuit, which was filed in Superior Court on Thursday, the police association claims that its members are not fairly compensated for sick leave and holidays, said Jim Hayes, association vice president.

Stephen Silver, a Santa Monica attorney representing both police and firefighters, said the police association’s lawsuit was filed to stop the city from giving employees only eight hours of pay for sick leave and holidays.

Silver said the city is only giving police employees eight hours of work credit, instead of basing the sick and holiday pay on the actual length of a scheduled work shift, which could be more than eight hours.

“If a working shift is more than eight hours, then that’s what (they) should earn,” he said.

David C. Dorn, president of Buena Park Firemen’s Assn., said that under their contract with the city, firefighters are entitled to incentive bonuses for having a college degree.

Dorn said the city, however, will only give a bonus if the employee earned the college degree while employed with the city.

He said, for example, that employees with associate of arts degrees receive $30 more a month. Those was a bachelor’s degree receive $60 more a month.

Silver said the pending firefighters’ association lawsuit is based on the case of a Buena Park firefighter who earned a college degree before being hired by the city.

“He presented his degree to the city, and the city has refused to pay him,” Silver said. “We’re going to court to tell the city to honor its contract.”

City Manager Kevin O’Rourke said Friday afternoon that the city had not been served with either lawsuit.

O’Rourke said such legal actions against the city are “frivolous as part of the (labor groups’) campaign to disrupt the city and keep their labor concerns before the council and community.”

O’Rourke added that the lawsuits are “just a way to put more money in their pockets . . . and an attempt to improve their salary and benefit situations at (taxpayer) expense.”

Both employee groups are at an impasse with the city over new contracts. Both groups rejected the city’s final contract offers because of objections to reductions in benefits and the lack of a pay increase.

A public hearing regarding the labor issues is scheduled at Monday’s 5 p.m. City Council meeting.