Merced County and Deputy Sheriff’s Association negotiations at a standstill

Negotiations between Merced County and the Deputy Sheriff’s Association have come to a standstill until March without any agreement on key issues, DSA officials said.

Since April 2015, DSA members have hoped to secure a fair package they say is needed to attract new deputies amid high vacancy rates in the Merced County Sheriff’s Office. The association represents two bargaining units: Unit 10, which consists of deputy sheriffs, and Unit 14, which includes deputy coroners and dispatchers.

The union and the county have not met for negotiations since Feb. 8, said Phil Brooks, the union’s president.

“Right now, we’re in hiatus,” Brooks said. “We aren’t able to come to agreement on some key issues – issues that from our perspective have direct impact on our members and their families.”

The one-year contract between the county and the deputies union expired in June 2015; since then, the union’s membership, about 75 employees, has continued to work under the same terms and conditions through a “grace period” while negotiations continue.

Mike North, a spokesman for the county, said the county is not in negotiations with any groups and plans to begin scheduling meetings in March for the next round.

North declined to comment on any specifics of the talks “out of respect for the negotiation process.”

But Brooks named multiple items upon which the county and union could not agree.

For one, Unit 14, which covers deputy coroners and dispatchers, requested a 10 percent raise, Brooks said.

“That’s very reasonable from our perspective, but it was rejected,” Brooks said. “Even the county has acknowledged the county has had some economic recovery. There’s only four deputy coroners. Given a 10 percent equity rate, that’s not a whole lot of money.”

During the recession, the county generally did not grant raises to employees. Before that, from 2005-10, union members received a 29.5 percent wage increase while other groups did not, the county has said.

Merced County deputy coroners are paid the least when compared with similar positions in the nearby counties of Fresno, Kings, Madera, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Tulare, according to a compensation survey agreed to by both parties. Merced County deputy coroners earn about $1,500 a month less than the average of the other counties.

The 10 percent increase would raise salaries for Merced deputy coroners by about $400 each month, according to the survey’s numbers.

Another major contention point in negotiations, Brooks said, is that the county proposed capping health benefits for Unit 10 deputies.

Under the current system, the county covers health insurance for employees. The county and each employee split the cost of paying for family members, such as for a spouse or any children.

“Obviously, the (union) sees that as an inevitable pay cut,” Brooks said. “If you do the simple math, with (health insurance) costs going up, that’s a big sticking point.”

The union also wants release time from the county for members of its board of directors to attend monthly meetings and help them ensure the board has a quorum.

“Within 24 hours, we’re hardly ever all off at same time,” Brooks said.

The union’s request wasn’t uncommon or unheard of, Brooks said, but the county decided not to allow the release time.

Hub Walsh, chairman of the county Board of Supervisors, said he hopes the two parties can resolve their differences.

“I’m looking forward to getting back to the table and working on these issues that are critical to coming to an agreement,” he said.

This story was originally published February 26, 2016 at 8:01 PM with the headline "Merced County and Deputy Sheriff’s Association negotiations at a standstill."