Deputies Nix Contract, but Won’t Strike

Ventura County sheriff’s deputies on Friday overwhelmingly rejected county government’s latest contract offer while backing off from recent threats that they would walk off the job unless their wage demands are met.

The vow not to strike comes as tensions escalate over the deputies’ yearlong pursuit of wage and pension hikes they say are necessary to keep them on par with other law enforcement agencies.

At meetings Thursday and Friday, 450 union members voted unanimously to reject the county’s contract proposal, said Glen Kitzmann, president of the 830-member Ventura County Deputy Sheriffs’ Assn. Members also agreed they should back away from a strike because it might not sit well with the public, he said.

“From our evaluation of the circumstances, it became apparent the county was trying to drag us down into the gutter,” Kitzmann said. “They would have enjoyed us doing that, so they could continue to vilify us. We’re not going to play that game.”

The union will focus on legal options as a way to settle disputed issues, Kitzmann said. A lower court in September rejected the union’s bid to force the issues into binding arbitration, but that decision is being appealed, the union chief said.

Although it could be months before a resolution is reached, union members have made clear they are willing to wait, Kitzmann said.

The county proposed a 2.4% raise in 2002 and a projected 1.8% raise in 2003, Kitzmann said. That would not keep deputies at the average pay for officers in neighboring counties and was rejected, he said.

County officials also offered an enhanced retirement benefit, effective in January 2003. But the county refused to make the benefit retroactive and said deputies would have to supplement the cost of the program through a 5% pay cut, starting 18 months into the new deal. Kitzmann said that was unacceptable.

“It’s ridiculous,” said Kitzmann, adding that such a formula would put deputies at least 5% behind the pay scale of their colleagues in surrounding counties.

The pension increase has been a major sticking point in nearly 12 months of negotiations.

Under the plan proposed by the union, deputies would earn up to 100% of their wages and benefits per year as a pension after they retire, based on years of service and age. Some long-serving deputies would qualify for more money in retirement than they make while working.

The union insists, however, that the average deputy would qualify for only about 65% of his or her active-duty wages and benefits.

County Executive Officer Johnny Johnston could not be reached Friday. But county officials have said the county cannot afford the $100-million price tag of giving the retirement benefit and back pay to all public safety employees.

Union officials have put the cost at closer to $75 million.

Even though a strike has been ruled out, union officials are still advising deputies to cash in unused vacation time, Kitzmann said. The union chief declined to say why.

Strikes are illegal for public safety employees, and Ventura County officials have said they will immediately seek a court injunction ordering deputies back to work should they leave their posts.

Sheriff Bob Brooks said he has already prepared coverage plans in the event of a strike. Department managers have been told they may be tapped to cover patrol shifts and calls for service, Brooks said.

There is no question that service would be affected in the event of a strike, the sheriff said, with the most dramatic change coming in the way low-level crimes are handled.

“Routine calls would probably go unanswered,” Brooks said. “If you had a burglary and needed a report taken, there would probably be no one to take that report. But if you had a life-threatening call, we would have resources for that.”

Neighboring police departments have agreed to help with emergency calls, if necessary.

“It’s similar to what we do anyway,” said Simi Valley Police Chief Randy Adams. “If the deputies have an emergency and we are closer to it, we will respond.”