Dear Sisters and Brothers,
On Thursday, March 19, Labor and Management, in our first Joint Conference Call, agreed to work in partnership to address the impact of the Novel Coronavirus-19 on bargaining unit employees and juveniles in County institutions (Juvenile Halls and Camps).
Utilizing the emergency provisions in our
Deputy Probation Officer MOU
(Articles 13, 15, 18, and 36), the Probation Department agreed that it would notify the Union, to the extent practicable, of changes in operations, hours, work schedules, and rules and procedures prior to implementing any changes.
With the Governor’s Safe at Home Order for Control of COVID-19 (California Health and Safety Code 120295), the
L.A. County Public Health Officer’s pronouncement
regarding social distancing, hand washing, hand sanitizer, and avoiding gatherings of 10 or more, and now the
County's "Safer at Home" orde
r, the Department must implement changes in order to continue Probation operations, programs, and services while simultaneously protecting the health and safety of employees, including high risk employees that are 65 years or older and those with chronic health conditions.
Local 685 and Management will be communicating on a daily basis concerning any proposed emergency changes so that the Local 685 Executive Board can work with the Department to get the official word and direction from Executive Management out to members. Department management has agreed to work with the Union to address any impacts or changes that in working conditions.
In our Conference Call, which included over 15 high level managers, Deputy Directors, Bureau Directors, Superintendents, and members of our Union Executive Board, issues that were raised by our rank and file membership were presented to management for discussion.
We raised concerns over demands for increase safety of members in having to work in close proximity to the juveniles in the institutions and co-workers. We also raised the need to allow members flexibility in Alternative Work Schedules, telework/telecommuting, and on-line training to allow employees to work from home if they have their own equipment (computers, VPN, IPADS, etc.).
Management agreed to review these matters and provide the Union with a response to our concerns.
We will be receiving information daily and will continue to keep you informed in future E-Grams, on our official Facebook page, and through our Coronavirus Hotline at 646-653-1917. You can also get reliable facts about the Coronavirus by
clicking here
.
Stay Safe and Stay Home when you are not at work.
In solidarity,
Hans Liang
President
AFSCME Local 685
