STATUS OF PRESIDENT FORD
President Ford is currently recovering and will be returning to Los Angeles tomorrow, where he will continue to recover from exhaustion. He is eager to return to his duties as soon as possible and remains deeply concerned about the well-being of Local 685 Members.
SUCCESS AT THE BSCC HEARING
Thanks to the hard work and sacrifices of Local 685 Members, we are pleased to report that both Los Padrinos and Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Halls were found “suitable” at the recent BSCC hearing. The BSCC will be conducting targeted and unannounced visits – in some cases weekly – focused on staffing and programming. It is essential to maintain consistency in our efforts to uphold staffing ratios and programs, especially with the planned BSCC visits.
CURRENT ISSUES & CONCERNS
Reassignment Order
We continue to pressure the Department for positive clarification on the Reassignment order. Our efforts have achieved some real results:
Originally the Department ordered a 90-day reassignment. Our Union pushed back and got it reduced to 60 days.
We have clarified that it only applies to full-duty staff.
Although the Department originally specified that the 60 days would not begin until you were physically placed at the location (60 days did not include any training before being placed), the Union has pushed back, and the Department agrees that the 60 days begin when you are relieved of your current assignment. Therefore, the training period counts toward the 60 days.
We will continue to advocate for Members on this reassignment and keep you informed of any changes or clarifications.
Home Due to Medical Restrictions
Local 685 has fought with the Department to provide an actual good-faith interactive process for all limited duty officers. As a result, the Disability Management Unit (previously Return-to-Work) is conducting Interactive Process Meetings (IPMs) with all employees that have any medical restriction. In this fight, the Department continues to press that the Field Officers’ functions, by state law, include peace offers’ duties.
The Department has advised the Union that they will review updated medical slips, returning staff to full duty status as medically appropriate.
The Union has pressed the Department, and management has agreed to identify a number of positions in the Field that can be afforded accommodation with medical restrictions. The current number (up to 180) is low, but we continue to press for more. Field Officers should be accommodated on a first-out, first-in procedure and rotated on a 90-day rotation schedule, parallel to how it is currently done in DSB. This will result in some members returning to work on limited duty assignments very soon.
Operational Issues
Your Executive Board has continued to participate in Joint Labor Management Committee (JLMC) meetings with Chief Deputy Epps on operational issues on a real time basis.
We pressed the Department about members still seeing some full-duty staff on special assignments (not in the units). The Department appreciated receiving this information from your Executive Board as it is the Department’s intent that all full-duty staff, especially DSB staff, will be active (no special assignment) in the units during the reassignment period. This also coincides with the Department’s orders that all levels of the workforce participate in this reassignment process. Specifically, Supervisors and Directors are to be physically present in the units to provide operational and administrative support in real-time for any deficiencies.
To hold the Department’s feet to the fire and enforce this operational procedure, we are asking you (Local 685 Members) to be vigilant when working in the DSB units and immediately report any deficiencies, such as a missing Supervisor or Director, to Local 685 representative Cookie Lommel (her email is clommel@afscme685.com). Be sure to include the date, the time, and the unit, to Ms. Lommel. She will immediately communicate that information to the Department and to our Union’s Executive Board so that we can have effective communication and enforcement.