County Officers Approve New Contract

Ventura County probation and corrections services officers have approved a labor contract that will give them raises ranging from 10% to 16% over the next 3 1/2 years.

Officers also secured the right to be classified as safety employees, a label that entitles them to retire as early as 50 instead of the minimum 60 required for most county workers.

While a ratification vote last week by the Ventura County Professional Peace Officers’ Assn. “was not overwhelming,” officers were pleased to win the safety classification, union President Diane Hubbard said.

“I’ve been here 30 years, and for the last 15 years, it’s been an issue,” Hubbard said. “Eighty-five percent of probation agencies throughout the state offer a safety retirement.”

About 275 probation and corrections workers are covered by the agreement. Probation officers write reports, make sentencing recommendations and supervise convicts after their release from prison. Corrections officers work with incarcerated youths.

Another 25 employees who patrol the county’s parks, airports and harbor will also get raises, but will remain in the “miscellaneous” worker category with no changes in retirement.

The Ventura County Board of Supervisors probably will approve the labor agreement when it reconvenes after a monthlong break Sept. 10. The board also is expected to approve a new contract for deputy sheriffs that deputies endorsed last month.

Supervisor Kathy Long said she will be glad to have that contract wrapped up. Negotiations with the deputy sheriffs’ group took more than 18 months as the two sides battled over the union’s demand for richer pensions.

“There were expectations on both sides that were greater than what anyone could come through with,” Long said. “It’s good to get them resolved.”

Deputies were pushing for a benefit that would have increased their retirement pay by 50%. The law enforcement union backed off when it became clear that supervisors would not approve the benefit because the county is facing financial trouble.

Probation officers also want the benefit, known as 3% at 50, under which deputies can retire at 50 and receive 3% of their pay for every year of service. The current standard is 2%. But they will save that demand for future negotiations, Hubbard said.

“We are taking it in steps,” she said. “We will fight the 3[%] at 50 battle down the line, along with the sheriff’s deputies.” The deputies have vowed to revive the issue when their current contract expires.

The wage increases will bring probation officers’ pay up to par with salaries offered by the state and neighboring agencies, Hubbard said. Officers currently earn between $31,000 and $45,000.

“We had been one of the lowest-paid probation agencies for a number of years,” Hubbard said. “It was a recruitment issue.”