(Stockton, CA) - Today, the citizens of San Joaquin County were impacted by Deputy Sheriff’s not showing up to work causing the Superior Court to close to the public. The Deputies who are involved in this action work in the Courts as bailiffs. The Deputies actions are tied to labor negotiations between San Joaquin County and the Deputy Sheriff’s Association. Strikes by law enforcement are illegal. Regardless, the intent of labor negotiations should not be the cause for services being diminished to San Joaquin County residents. We are always mindful of our responsibilities to the taxpayers; any agreement we reach with the Deputy Sheriff’s Association or other unions must be viable in the long term.

The County has developed the following fact sheet to provide the public an update regarding contract negotiations with the Deputy Sheriff’s Association (DSA):

What did the DSA receive in the last negotiated agreement?

The term of the last negotiated agreement was from September 2007 to June 2015 and during the term of this agreement the DSA received a 27.5% wage increase. On average this amounted to a 3.6% increase per year.

What is the current base wage being asked for by DSA and offered by the County?

• The request from DSA is for a 6% Cost of Living increase over a 25 month agreement.
• The County is offering a 5% Cost of Living increase over a 36 month agreement (3% base salary increase effective the first pay period following adoption, an additional 1% effective one year (26 pay periods) after the first increase, and an additional 1% two years (52 pay periods) after the first increase)

A recent survey conducted by the DSA of similar California counties demonstrated that the total compensation for San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Deputies is currently 5.24% above the average. The survey found that the average total monthly compensation for Deputy Sheriff’s in comparable counties is $9,939, the total monthly compensation for a San Joaquin County Deputy Sheriff is $10,488.

Longevity Pay is the main area of disagreement between DSA and the County.

• DSA longevity proposal would have a total cost of $4.7 million over 3 years
• The County longevity proposal would have a total cost of $1.0 million over 3 years

What is the total cost of the DSA proposal versus the County proposal to taxpayers, over a 36 month period?

• The DSA’s most recent proposal would cost $9.8 million
• The County proposal would cost $3.4 million

What happens next?

The County is scheduling a third mediation session with DSA, anticipated to be held in the next 30 days. The County is hopeful that a reasonable and sustainable compromise can be reached.

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