News About Your Local 685 Contract
On
December 1,2017, Local 685 members will receive a
lump sum Uniform Allowance by
 separate check of $850. Since 2006, this negotiated Allowance was $500, and through tough negotiations in 2015 was increased to
$850 per year, a 70% increase.
Effective January 1, 2018, Local 685 members will receive a
2% pay raise, the final installment in a
10% contract negotiated in 2015.
Click here to read your current Union contract, which expires on January 31, 2018.
We are currently in negotiations for a successor contract.
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President's Message on Board of Supervisors' Policy Changes
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
Across America, there is a national outcry against law
 enforcement and a movement to reduce incarceration. Although Los Angeles is not the center of protest like Ferguson, Baltimore, and Charlottesville, the LA County Supervisors - who oversee one the largest juvenile and adult custody operations in the world - are acutely aware of the public momentum and are pushing for change.
AFSCME Local 685 is deeply engaged with the Department, the Board of Supervisors, and State Legislature on the impact of policy changes to the Halls and Camps. Specifically, we are actively involved in:
- The Probation Task Force (established by Supervisor Kuehl);
- The Blue Ribbon Commission on Public Safety (established by Supervisors Barger and Hahn); and
- The Probation Oversight Committee (established by Supervisors Ridley-Thomas and Hahn).
Additionally, Local 685 has lobbied for a State Hearing on Peace/Probation Officer Safety in the Halls and Camps. Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer, who is the Chair of the Assembly Public Safety Committee, has agreed to schedule the hearing in December.
Regardless of what Board of Supervisors ultimately direct the Chief Probation Officer to do, we have a rock solid
Union contract that requires "impact bargaining" on any changes that will affect Local 685 members.
In moments like this it is important to remember the core mission of our Union:
"Local 685 has been charged with, and has always maintained, the responsibility of protecting the rights of employees within the LA County Probation Department. The union negotiates, on behalf of its membership, all matters concerning wages, hours, benefits, and working conditions with the Department."
Our #1 focus is, and has always been:
- Protecting your job;
- Assuring your personal safety; and
- Negotiating your wages, hours, benefits, and working conditions.
Si Se Puede,
Ralph Miller, Local 685
President
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Congratulations Sr. DSO Anthony Davis!
Sr. DSO Davis was informed that a young lady in Probation Department custody, who had received death threats from a local gang, was not being properly escorted to cou rt. Judge Irma Brown and the deputies who were transporting the girl were also targets of death threats. Unfortunately, the ball was dropped again the second time the young woman was taken to court.
Due to the threats, Sr. DSO Davis and Sr. DSO Gregory lobbied Director Scott Sanders to get the armed unit to provide her with an armed escort to and from court. Their advocacy worked!
On her third court appearance, Judge Brown ordered the armed unit to escort the girl until all of her court appearances were completed.
Good job, Sr. DSO Davis!
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Deputies Check Probationers, Aid in Domestic Violence Call LA County Sherriff's Department
(From the Santa Clarita Valley News)
Crime Prevention deputies from the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station, along with Los Angeles County Probation Department officers conducted probation compliance searches Friday, October 20, throughout the Santa Clarita Valley.
On Friday October 20, 2017, several locations were searched, and the probationers were found to be in compliance with their terms of probation.
During one of the probation searches in Saugus, deputies just happened to be in the right place at the right time. There was a domestic violence call for service that went out on the same street and the suspect attempted to leave the location - but he was surrounded by deputies and probation officers. We helped detain him for responding patrol deputies.
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I
ncrease Your Skill Set in Helping Your Clients Find a Job: Attend the Fair Chance Employment Workshop
This
November 15 workshop, led by the Root & Rebound legal team, will prepare workforce development professionals to empower their job seekers in reentry with knowledge of their rights in the hiring process, as well as
 how to communicate the business case for "fair chance hiring" to employers.
Attendees will learn WHAT employers can ask about a job applicant's record; HOW & WHEN employers can run background checks; and BEST PRACTICES for preparing your trainees/clients who have had a history of incarceration.
The workshop will also feature Expert Reentry Employment Panel of highly experienced workforce developers with on-the-ground knowledge of working with people in reentry and best practices, as well as time for Q&A to address:
- How to best prepare clients to respond to LA's Fair Chance process
- How to demonstrate evidence of rehabilitation
- How to speak with employers regarding the new law
- Tips on selling transitional job experience to employers
When:
Wednesday, November 15, 2017
8:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Where:
LA Trade Tech College
Redwood Hall
400 W. Washington Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90015
Click here to purchase your ticket for this event.
Free refreshments and parking will be provided for this event.
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DPO II Theodore Cha: Local 685's Social Media Champion
Deputy Probation Officer II Theodore Cha manages our AFSCME Local 685 Facebook page. As a long-time steward and a special representative for Local 685, he has been hard at work to improve the communication between the union and the members through social media in this current Information age.
Theodore spent years in the Marine Corps before joining Long Beach Police Department. After LBPD, he joined the Los Angeles County Superior Court as a Pre-trial Investigator. Prior to the merger of Pre-Trial to The Los Angeles County Probation Department, Theodore -- feeling restless - was recruited by then-Asian Gang Unit SDPO Fred Wong to apply in Probation as a field DPO I. Theodore has been a Deputy Probation Officer for three decades since then, in both adult and juvenile field operations.
His passion for addressing the peril of gangs has been consistent. He worked in Metro Intensive Gang Suppression Unit, the ELA Task Force, and then as a Probation Recruiter. He also worked in the Gang Alternative Prevention Program, SRG, and AB 109. He's now a Family Violence Unit Deputy at East Los Angeles Mary Ridgway Office - named after his one-time SDPO, mentor, and heroine.
DPO Cha is active in local communities. He organized Korean Parent Education Seminars, and has booked himself at Korean Churches throughout the Los Angeles area to speak about teen/parent relationships. He had a weekly talk show on Radio Korea that was a live-on-air version of his Parent Education Seminars. He also participated in several community organizations and was an elected CA Democratic Party Delegate, Korean American Foundation Los Angeles chapter Vice President, the Asian Pacific American Correctional Association President, and The Asian Pacific Islanders American Labor Alliance's Los Angeles Chapter Vice President. As a union leader, he's Treasurer for AFSCME Local 685, and Co-Chair for AFSCME International's Asian Pacific Islanders Caucus.
The most difficult time during his career was losing his ride-along partner, LAPD Officer Filberto Cuesta, who was murdered by a gang probationer in 1998. It was a wake- up call for DPO Cha to be involved in union activism, advocating for safety for field probation officers. Out of this tragic event, he was honored to be the center point of the arming probation officer debates. That culminated with the start of the pilot Arming Unit shortly afterwards.
During this time of dynamic technology, he believes in timely communication to inform members so that they are more involved in issues impacting their jobs. However, he staunchly believes that nothing can really replace in-person communication with members, which he tries to do whenever he can. Theodore believes that as a collection of deputies of various social and political backgrounds, it is important to maintain a clear line of communication to maintain a cohesive organization.
Whenever he hears of fellow members facing discipline because of misuse of social media, he offers advice:
"Post things like you are in front of the whole world looking at you. You are not alone just because you are the only one sitting in front of PC or iPhone. Always be mindful of what you do and say as a sworn professional peace officer."
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Local 685's Cookie Lommel Speaks at the Board of Supervisors Meeting
If you wonder what happens at LA County Board of Supervisors meetings, this statement will give you an idea. It was during an important discussion for probation officers. Through lobbying by President Ralph Miller, your union will be a part of an upcoming oversite committee on Probation.
"Good Morning to everyone, my name is Cookie Lommel, I am a representative with AFSCME Local 685, the Probation Officers Union. I would like to thank the Board of Supervisors for including us in this process. This is very important success, and this
adventure that we are embarking on is in the DNA of Los Angeles County. We were awarded some of the top awards for our Probation Department. Probation officers in other countries came here to learn our methods.
"At this point, we think it is important that we are focusing on the wisdom of officers who have been in Probation Department for 20, 30 - even 40 years. At this point, our department is run by an Executive who has no experience in probation. However, we look forward to learning and being successful, so we feel that it is important to have peer-to-peer learning. That means sworn probation officers teaching other probation officers. You would never have a doctor, for example, come to teach a firefighter how to best fight a fire. You would never have an engineer school a nurse on how to improve bedside manner. For too long our voices have been overlooked - no longer."
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Facility of the Month: Sustainable Justice Changes the Future for Juveniles
(From Correctional News)
Los Angeles County's Campus Kilpatrick opened its doors to juvenile inmates in July 2017, providing a school campus-like atmosphere intended to have a positive impact on juveniles and society at large. 
"This is truly a community-based, long-term solution that's hopefully going to have a huge impact on the life of kids in L.A. County," said Andrew Cupples, AIA, principal and global justice design leader for DLR Group, the architect on the project based locally.
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NOVEMBER
Stewards Meeting:
Nov. 16, 7:30 PM
DECEMBER
General Membership Meeting
Dec. 7, 7:30 PM
Stewards Meeting
Dec. 21, 7:30 PM
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Send Us Your Stories!
We welcome any story ideas - anything from success with a probationer, to the birth of a child or retirement of a co-worker, to the effect of staffing shortages or workload requirements on your ability to do your job.
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Member Benefits
AFSCME Advantage
Discounts and benefits for AFSCME members that can help stretch your dollars and make life a little easier.
* AT&T Wireless Discounts
* Energy Efficient Rebates
* Health Club Discounts
* Vacation Tours
* AFSCME Credit Card
Click here for details
Scholarships
Several scholarship programs are available for AFSCME members and their children. Select an individual scholarship for information on requirements and deadlines.
Click here for details
Education & Trainings
Our union is only as strong as our activist core. That's why AFSCME is dedicated to working with our affiliates to provide high-quality training for AFSCME leaders.
Online Learning
- See upcoming live online workshops
- See available self-paced courses
- Investor education for working families
Classroom Learning
- See AFSCME programs for info
Women's Leadership
& Training
Additional Resources
Click here for details
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Copyright © 2016. All Rights Reserved.
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