PPOA Executive Director
wquint@ppoa.com
The year 2021 wrapped up PPOA’s 70th year of providing professional representation to an amazing, diverse law enforcement membership. PPOA proudly continues our commitment to never forgetting our retirees who made many sacrifices to ensure that our union continues its tradition of success.
As we begin 2022, PPOA’s most important resolution is to negotiate in good faith with the County of Los Angeles at the salary bargaining tables for each of PPOA’s five designated Bargaining Units (B/U):
- Unit 612 (LASD and LADA): Sergeant, Lieutenant (MOU expires January 31, 2022)
- Unit 614 (Coroner and LASD): Criminalist, Criminalist Lab Technician, Forensic ID Specialist I, Forensic ID Specialist II, Senior Criminalist (expires March 31, 2022)
- Unit 621 (LASD): Civilian Investigator, Court Services Specialist, Crime Analyst, Custody Assistant, Law Enforcement Technician, Public Response Dispatcher I, Public Response Dispatcher II, Public Response Dispatcher Specialist, Security Assistant, Security Officer, Supervising Public Response Dispatcher (expires March 31, 2022)
- Unit 631 (Coroner): Coroner Investigator (expires March 31, 2022)
- Unit 632 (Coroner): Supervising Coroner Investigator I, Supervising Coroner Investigator II (expires March 31, 2022)
Additionally, this year, the Coalition of County Unions (CCU), which includes PPOA, ALADS and 12 other union organizations, will negotiate with the County a successor MOU to our fringe benefits contract that expires on March 31.
PPOA is also experiencing, for the first time in its storied history, conducting B/U contract negotiations with the County via videoconference (Zoom and Microsoft Teams).
PPOA is also experiencing, for the first time in its storied history, conducting B/U contract negotiations with the County via videoconference (Zoom and Microsoft Teams). This new dynamic is a drastic and challenging change to traditional across-the-table in-person negotiations at one location. The County negotiations team members are participating in each videoconference from numerous locations. Meanwhile, all PPOA negotiation team members participate together, in person, either at the PPOA office in San Dimas or other designated locations. PPOA strongly believes that in-person, COVID-19-compliant participation by PPOA negotiation team members will greatly benefit our effectiveness at the bargaining table.
As PPOA’s Unit 612 negotiations team began the bargaining process with the County on November 18, an alarming economic indicator confirms that inflation is back and not in a small way. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 6.2% from October 2020 to October 2021. The CPI rose 6.8% from November 2020 to November 2021, the largest 12-month increase since the period ending June 1982, resulting in today’s consumer inflation rising at its fastest pace in nearly 40 years. The December 2020–December 2021 CPI is scheduled to be released on January 12, 2022. Unit 612 will be resuming negotiations with the County on January 6. Please make sure your non-LASD email address is in PPOA’s database. Please call the office if you need to add your email address so you can receive negotiation updates as well as PPOA’s electronic Week in Review.
As you are aware, Unit 612, in a collaborative economic effort with the County, agreed in December 2020 to extend the 2018–2021 MOU for 12 months (February 1, 2021–January 31, 2022). This extension was without salary increases due to the economic uncertainty that was driven by the unknown fallout of the ongoing pandemic and a projected state of California landmark $54.3 billion budget deficit. The PPOA Board of Directors’ number one priority in agreeing to the extension was to ensure what members had earned was not lost during the unprecedented and historically challenging times. It should be noted that all County B/Us have or will be extending their existing MOUs for 12 months as well.
As it turns out, the state’s projected general fund deficit never came to pass, and to the shock of most observers, the state shows a $75.7 billion general fund surplus across two fiscal years (FY). The County certainly benefits from a healthy state budget surplus as a significant portion (38%) of the County budget is comprised of revenues from the state and federal governments. The County’s FY 2021–22 recommended budget had a relatively large decrease of $2.1 billion when compared to the FY 2021–22 final adopted budget. The County attributes the decrease in part to its use of one-time funding, including $1.22 billion in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF). The County also projected increased revenues for FY 2021–22.
In January 2022, the County will begin its preliminary FY 2022–23 budgetary process. It is imperative that the Board of Supervisors recognizes and addresses as one of its most urgent priorities fair and reasonable successor MOU agreements for its represented employees. The working women and men of L.A. County deserve wage increases that allow them to keep pace with inflation as well as counter the ongoing erosion of their purchasing power.
It is my sincere hope that 2022 brings along many opportunities for our active and retired PPOA members to grow and prosper. May God give you all the strength to conquer all the challenges in your personal and professional lives. Happy new year.