Santa Ana and Officers Will Reopen Talks

After two days of “blue flu,” during which dozens of Santa Ana police officers called in sick, the city and the police union agreed Friday to send contract negotiators back to the bargaining table.

Talks are expected to resume this weekend or early next week, according to Santa Ana Police Benevolent Assn. President Don Blankenship and City Manager David N. Ream.

But Ream said the city has not changed its week-old offer of a 4.5% pay raise this year and 4% next year. The police union has sought an immediate 11.9% raise.

When contract talks broke off June 25, the city’s negotiators had offered no raise, Blankenship said. Blankenship said that he has not yet formally received any offer from the city but that talks will resume if city negotiators are empowered to offer a raise.

The union is seeking to bring Santa Ana officers to the same pay level as that of Irvine police, the highest paid in Orange County.

Sickout Effects Not Clear

Santa Ana officers are paid $2,463 to $2,995 a month, compared with Irvine officers’ $2,483 to $3,352, Blankenship said.

It was not clear Friday what effect the two-day sickout had on the contract talks, but by the union’s calculations it cost the city about $24,700 in overtime pay.

“I think it was effective, and they made their point without jeopardizing public safety at all,” Blankenship said.

He and Ream agreed that police protection in the city had not suffered during the sickout and that there were as many, if not more, officers on duty than normal. Many officers volunteered to work overtime to ensure safe staffing, they said.

Blankenship said the blue flu epidemic would not continue after Friday’s day shift.

“It will be a safer weekend, and you have some cops coming to work that are rested up,” he said.

Despite a court order Thursday barring them from job actions, 32 of 38 patrol officers called in sick for Friday’s day shift, Blankenship said. The union stopped sanctioning the sickout after city officials obtained a court order late Thursday prohibiting officers from calling in sick unless they are actually ill, he said.

The union had endorsed the job action before the court order, he said.

On the graveyard shift that began at 11 p.m. Wednesday, 16 of 18 officers scheduled for duty called in sick, Blankenship said. But all officers reported to work for the Thursday day shift.

“The object was not to impair public safety at all,” Blankenship said. “That was first and foremost.”

On the swing shift Thursday night, 48 of 50 officers called in sick. Blankenship said he did not know whether those officers were aware of the court order.

Police union officials contacted officers Thursday, advising them to comply with the court order, Blankenship said.

Few Showed Up Friday

“Many still called in sick,” Blankenship said. “There’s no explanation.”

On Friday’s day shift, just six of 38 patrol officers, one of eight traffic officers and three of 60 investigators reported to work, he said.

“We sincerely hope the city doesn’t try to discipline our officers for showing displeasure with the City Council,” he said.

Ream said Friday that the city had no intention of punishing officers for the sickout.

Blankenship stressed that the sickout was “not against the entire city.”

“It’s to show our displeasure with the City Council and their skewed priorities (for spending money on) trees and parks and leaving police and police protection . . . somewhere down the line,” he said.

“The majority of these (council members) run on a law-and-order ticket. They ask for support every year. We have been led to believe that law enforcement is a primary concern. We know it is with the citizens.”