This Week at Local 685: Arbitration, Civil Service Rules, Return to Work & More

Article 15 Transfer Rights Grievance Moves to Expedited Arbitration

Brothers and Sisters,

I want to provide an important update on the Union’s grievance challenging the involuntary transfer of Deputy Probation Officer IIs under Article 15, Section 2 of the MOU.

First, it is important to remember why we filed this grievance in the first place.

The Union’s position is that the Article 15 language now being used to involuntarily transfer members came from a fraudulently represented contract ratification process.

When members voted on the 2023 MOU, we were not told that the tentative agreement contained significant new transfer language in Article 15, including the addition of Section 2. That provision was not identified in the communications asking members to vote “YES” on the agreement.

Earlier this year, Local 685 surveyed the membership about what happened. 342 members responded. Nearly 98% said they were unaware of the new transfer language before ratification, and nearly nine out of ten said they would have voted differently had they known about it. Among members who actually voted on the contract, 194 out of 219 said the information would have changed their vote.

That is why this case is about much more than individual transfers. Our position is that members were denied the opportunity to knowingly vote on a major change to their contractual rights, and the County should not now be permitted to rely upon that provision to involuntarily transfer them.

We filed a Grievance General in Character (GIC) challenging the County’s authority to make these transfers and seeking to protect the rights members had before Section 2 was added. The Department waived the initial Department-level hearing, and the grievance proceeded directly to the Chief Executive Office.

The County has now denied our grievance.

As a result, yesterday, August 13, we filed for expedited arbitration. This moves the dispute out of the County’s internal grievance process and puts the interpretation and enforcement of Article 15 before a neutral arbitrator.

We intend to aggressively pursue this case. The Union believes members should not lose important contractual rights because of language they were never properly told they were voting on.

This fight is about protecting your assignments and transfer rights, but it is also about something more fundamental: when members vote on a contract, they have a right to know what is in it.

We will keep the membership informed as the arbitration moves forward.

In Solidarity,

Tom Yu

Attorney for AFSCME Local 685

Update: Proposed Civil Service Rule Changes Delayed 90 Days

Brothers and Sisters,

We have an important update on the County’s effort to make significant changes to the Civil Service Rules affecting sworn Probation employees.

After strong opposition and sustained advocacy by myself and Attorney Esteban Lizardo – together with AFSCME and the Teamsters – the proposed changes have been pushed back 90 days, until November 4.

That time matters. It gives us additional time to continue challenging proposals that would weaken fundamental workplace and due process protections for sworn employees.

The County has not demonstrated an operational need for these changes. We have seen no evidence that the existing Civil Service Rules are failing, and no data showing that longer probationary periods, longer unpaid suspensions, or weaker evidentiary standards would improve safety, accountability, or Department performance.

Instead, the proposed changes would significantly expand management’s disciplinary authority. Among other things, they would:

• Allow discipline to be based entirely on hearsay.

• Double probationary periods.

• Double the amount of time an employee can be suspended without pay.

• Allow an employee to be placed on unpaid suspension based solely on an accusation.

• Limit an employee’s ability to challenge discipline and termination.

These are not minor administrative changes. They affect fundamental employment and due process rights that sworn Probation employees have relied upon for decades.

And they are being proposed at exactly the wrong time.

The Probation Department remains in a serious staffing crisis. County data previously presented on recruitment showed just 88 hires from more than 8,500 applicants. Meanwhile, officers in our institutions are being held over, working excessive hours, missing time with their families, and being stretched far beyond what should be considered sustainable.

That is the crisis the County should be focused on solving.

Taking rights away from the very employees who are holding this Department together will not recruit more officers. It will not improve retention. And it will not make the institutions safer.

AFSCME Local 685 and our labor partners have also made clear that changes affecting negotiable wages, hours, and working conditions cannot simply be imposed without fulfilling the County’s bargaining obligations. We have serious concerns about whether portions of the proposal could withstand legal challenge.

For now, Local 685 and our labor partners have succeeded in stopping the changes from moving forward on the County’s original timetable. The new date is November 4, and we intend to use the additional 90 days to continue pressing County management to reconsider this approach and work with its employees instead.

Our message when we meet with management remains straightforward:

Address the staffing crisis. Improve recruitment and retention. Support the officers doing this difficult work. Do not weaken their rights in the process.

We will continue working closely with our labor partners and will keep the membership informed as this issue develops.

In Solidarity,

Curtis Chambers

PresidentAFSCME Local 685

Getting Our Members Back to Work and Supporting One Another

Brothers and Sisters,

One of my priorities as President has been getting Local 685 members who are able to work light duty back to work.

Over the past several months, I have pushed hard with the Department and the Board of Supervisors to address the large number of members who had been placed on light duty or otherwise kept out of regular assignments. At one point, this involved approximately 1,000 members. Today, the majority of those members are back at work in the field offices.

That is meaningful progress, and I am proud that the Union kept pressing the issue until members were able to return.

But we also need to be clear about what comes next. Light duty is not intended to be a permanent staffing solution, and these assignments will eventually sunset and individuals will need to make their own choices.

Let’s be clear: Our brothers and sisters working in the institutions have been carrying an enormous burden. They are being held over, working long hours, and in too many cases struggling to manage basic needs, get time off to take vacations, or simply spend meaningful time with their families.

That is not sustainable, and it is not fair to the members who have been carrying that load.

As a Union, we will continue fighting to make sure every member is treated fairly, that contractual rights are respected, and that staffing decisions are handled responsibly. At the same time, we all need to lend our full support to staffing the institutions and to the colleagues who have been holding the line there.

We are one bargaining unit and one profession. What happens in the institutions affects all of us. Safe and adequately staffed facilities are essential to our members, the youth in our care, and the future of the Probation Department.

We have made real progress getting members back to work. Now we need to continue moving forward together, supporting one another and doing our part to strengthen this Department and our profession.

In Solidarity,

Curtis Chambers

PresidentAFSCME Local 685

Update: AB 218 Claims, Fraud Investigation, and the Fight to Protect Members and Taxpayers

Local 685 continues to closely monitor the thousands of sexual abuse claims filed against Los Angeles County under AB 218 and the unprecedented financial and professional consequences these cases has for our members, the Probation Department, and County taxpayers.

As members know, Los Angeles County agreed to a $4 billion settlement covering more than 11,000 claims, many involving allegations arising from County juvenile facilities. Since then, serious questions have emerged about the legitimacy of a significant number of those claims.

District Attorney Investigating Potential Fraud

District Attorney Nathan Hochman launched a criminal investigation into potential fraud involving the AB 218 cases. The investigation is examining not only individual claims, but also potential misconduct involving attorneys, recruiters, and medical professionals.

The findings announced to date are deeply concerning.

In a court filing in June, the District Attorney reported that, based on the preliminary phase of his investigation, his office believes fraudulent claims may account for as much as 81% of those seeking compensation from the settlement fund. His investigation remains underway.

DA Asked the Court to Stop Payments

Because of those concerns, DA Hochman asked the Superior Court to temporarily halt settlement payments through the end of 2026 so his office could continue its investigation before the money was distributed. The court denied the DA's request to freeze the settlement payments, allowing the payment process to move forward. The criminal investigation, however, continues.

For Local 685, this is about protecting legitimate survivors, our members, and the integrity of the process. People who were actually abused deserve justice. At the same time, fraudulent claims harm legitimate survivors, unfairly implicate deputy probation officers, and divert billions of taxpayer dollars that otherwise support public safety, County services, staffing, and the communities our members serve.

Local 685 Meeting With the District Attorney

Local 685 leadership is scheduled to meet with DA Hochman in Septemberto discuss the investigation and, importantly, what can be done to protect our members as these cases continue.

We intend to discuss how allegations involving Probation employees are being evaluated, what safeguards exist against false accusations, how potential fraud is being investigated, and what additional steps can be taken to protect both employees and taxpayers.

Our position remains straightforward: legitimate survivors should be compensated, fraudulent claims should not be paid, and no employee should be presumed guilty simply because an allegation has been made.

The Fight Continues in Sacramento

At the same time, efforts continue in Sacramento to address the problems created by AB 218 and to establish stronger safeguards against fraudulent claims.

County officials and other stakeholders have been pressing the Legislature for reforms that protect legitimate survivors while preventing attorneys, recruiters, or others from exploiting the system through false or inadequately supported claims.

Local 685 will continue working with our legislative team and our allies in Sacramento on solutions that provide justice for real victims while protecting due process, public employees, and taxpayer dollars.

We will keep members informed as the District Attorney's investigation progresses, following our September meeting and as legislative efforts continue in Sacramento.

Local 685 Heads to the AFSCME Convention

Brothers and Sisters,

This Sunday, members of the Local 685 Executive Board will be attending the AFSCME Convention, where delegates and union leaders from across the country will come together to discuss the challenges facing public employees and the future of our union.

This convention will be especially important for Local 685.

For the first time, our leadership will have an opportunity to engage more directly with other AFSCME local union leaders representing law enforcement and public-safety employees and to share what has been happening here in Los Angeles County.

The challenges our members are facing are significant, but they are not necessarily unique to Los Angeles. Our briefing for these discussions highlights the connection between chronic vacancies, forced overtime and redeployment, threats to civil-service protections, and efforts to move public work outside of the bargaining unit.

We intend to use the convention to build relationships with other public-safety locals, learn from what they are confronting in their own jurisdictions, and begin developing a stronger network of unions that can support one another when these issues arise.

This is also an opportunity to make sure that the experiences of Los Angeles County Deputy Probation Officers are part of the national AFSCME conversation. Our members supervise adults and youth in the community, serve the courts, staff our juvenile institutions, and perform difficult public-safety work every day. Our voice belongs at that table.

We do not know exactly what will develop from the convention, and we are not going there with predetermined outcomes. We are going to participate, build relationships, make sure Local 685 is heard, and look for opportunities to strengthen our ability to represent and protect our members.

We will keep the membership updated throughout the convention and will share any important or breaking news from the convention floor.

This is another step toward making Local 685 stronger, more connected, and better positioned to fight for our members and our profession.

In Solidarity,

Curtis Chambers

President

AFSCME Local 685

Local 685 Proud to Support Student Scholarships

Local 685 is proud to support the Bessie Morris Foundation scholarship program, which this year awarded eleven $500 scholarships to deserving students pursuing higher education.

Our Union contributed $1,500 to help support the program and its commitment to expanding educational opportunity in our community.

We encourage members to read the Foundation’s thank-you letter and learn more about the 2026 scholarship recipients and the schools they will be attending this fall.

Supporting our communities is an important part of who we are as a union, and we are pleased to help these students take the next step in their education.

Click here to read the letter of thanks.