Oceanside Police Off the Job With ‘Blue Flu’ Again

Oceanside police officers, on the eve of resuming labor talks with the city, failed to report to work Wednesday for the second time in less than a month, straining department operations and escalating tensions at City Hall.

The city’s safety net, however, remained intact, as top police officials ordered officers on the night and graveyard shifts to work overtime to cover the gap left by the “blue flu” that hit the day shift.

More than 30 officers, including patrol officers, detectives and dispatchers, called in sick in the morning, mirroring a similar incident conducted by members of the Police Officers Assn. last month. On June 10, about 25 of 180 POA members did not report for work.

Although city officials claimed the two incidents were a result of troubled labor negotiations, Sgt. Ron Graf, POA president, earlier denied that his association called for the first sickout. Graf, who did not report to work Wednesday, could not be reached for comment about the most recent sickout. The association’s vice president, Detective Bob Burke, is on vacation and was also unavailable.

“I’m sure the POA would deny that this is a job action, but it’s fairly evident . . . that is exactly what is going on,” said Oceanside City Manager Ron Bradley.

If the sickout continues, Bradley said the department will operate two 12-hour shifts, instead of the normal three-shift schedule. Watch Commander Sgt. Richard Derouen said Wednesday that a complete 14-person day shift was on hand to work what he described as “an average day.” Derouen said the day shift usually responds to about 2,500 calls a month.

“I have been given no indication how long this will last,” Bradley said. “All I can say is that they did it for one day the last time.” He said the city has notified the Sheriff’s Department and the California Highway Patrol, and that they are ready to provide help if requested.

The POA said it is asking for a 7.5% salary increase, but the city has offered a raise of 3.5%. City officials declined to confirm those figures, saying only that negotiations are at a sensitive stage.

Bradley said department employees had been warned once before that violators of the department’s sick-leave policy could be penalized, and that dismissal remained an option. He declined to specify if, and how, absent officers would be disciplined in this case.

“The members of the department know what the procedures are,” Bradley said. “They know what an illegal job action is. And they know repercussions will follow their actions.”

Citywide Celebration

Widely circulated rumors held that the POA would stage a job action July 4, in the midst of a busy, citywide centennial celebration. Such an action never materialized.

(In an unrelated labor dispute, police in National City staged a sickout on the Fourth of July, a job action that lasted only one day. During the busy holiday, 24 officers and other personnel failed to report for work.)

Oceanside Councilman Walter Gilbert, who worked 30 years for the Grand Rapids, Mich., Police Department, said he was “disappointed” with the POA action.

“Being a former cop, I can understand their frustration, and, since they are not able to strike, I can see why they would be pushed to do things that are on the borderline,” said Gilbert, 77, who moved to Oceanside after his retirement in 1970.

But Gilbert tempered his disapproval of the sickout, saying he does not believe that the officers mean to strip the city of police protection, only that they are trying to make a “strongly persuasive” statement.

“If their action left the city without any officers, yes, I would be angry,” Gilbert said. “I believe that violates their duty to the public. But I’m sure they (were) well aware that they have left enough officers working, that somebody else will cover their shift.”

A limited sickout can be countered by suspending nonessential services, such as public relations work, school programs and tours, and using the officers from those programs to replace absent personnel, according to Jim Rankin, assistant city manager.

Contract negotiations, which began about two months ago, reached an impasse June 21, when a state mediator called in by the city failed to resolve the salary dispute.

But city and POA officials are scheduled to resume contract talks today, said Mary Kaerth, the city’s personnel director.