March 12th, 2020 – At approximately 1130 AM today, PPOA was notified, by numerous PPOA members, regarding the Sheriff cancelling all vacations through May 31, 2020. PPOA immediately contacted Employee Relations for a “meet and confer” and joined with ALADS in a meeting with the Department at 2PM. Topics of this meeting included numerous issues such as:
- Proper notification to the unions of unilateral decisions significantly affecting members and their rights,
- Exemptions to this new announcement for those with scheduled vacations including special occasions (weddings, graduations, etc.) and/or paid airfare or resort fees
- Correspondence from the Sheriff for members to present to airlines and resorts to expedite refunds, and
- Continued communication.
PPOA will continue to assist members in any way possible during these uncertain and historically difficult times during of the Coronavirus pandemic. The Department has agreed to make efforts to improve communications (proposed conference calls with PPOA and ALADS, twice a week) and include both unions in Operation Plan concepts as they are developed.
Remember, the best defense to preventing Coronavirus is practicing good public hygiene similar to flu and cold precautions as well as limiting your exposure by avoiding large groups of people.
Of course, as information becomes available, PPOA will provide continued communication through personal e-mail blasts, Week in Review, our website, Facebook, and our mobile app.