KTLA News: "Bargaining unit encourages Sheriff's Department work slowdown" (1979)

It is in effect a slowdown. Deputies would perform their duties, but only according to the book. This should affect the courts, the jails, and the sheriff's transportation department. However, Sheriff Peter Pitches said the slowdown has had no noticeable effect. At a news conference, Gene Collins, president of the association, said, "We're asking deputy personnel to follow the sheriff's manual policy to the letter." The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has engineered certain shortcuts within our procedure that allows us to accomplish things in a more expeditious manner than what the policy of manual and procedures require. We're asking those procedures to be followed and for the deputy personnel not to use those shortcuts >> starting immediately. Jean Collins also told the press club news conference that the job action or slowdown by the deputies involved might continue daily until the supervisors act upon the pay raise. Stan Chambers from West Hollywood for News at 10. President of the Association of Los Angeles Deputy Sheriff to meet with the county in January to begin negotiations. A special meeting was set for Wednesday, September the 12th with the express purpose of considering and voting on county employee contracts. On Tuesday, September the 11th, we learned the special meeting had been cancelled. As a result of the callous disregard the board had demonstrated for the welfare of our membership, as well as the approximate 70,000 other county employees similarly affected, ALADs considers the matter totally intolerable. Yesterday, a petition for a rid of mandate was filed by AADS against the county to compel the board to meet and vote on the contract. In addition, ALAZ has determined that some kind of work action will be required to impress upon the board of supervisors our frustration with their conduct. We can no longer tolerate working without a contract or the loss to our ranks of seasoned professionals or the lack of support by the sheriff and the board of supervisors. >> What will your action be? We are asking our deputy personnel to follow our department manual of policy and procedure to the letter. >> What does that mean? >> At at this point uh as in any other profession and likely the general public will not notice that much of a change. Now we we intend to answer all routine calls as fast as we can get to them. The emergency calls of course will be answered as as they always are. They get first priority. But we're asking if if a report needs to be taken that the deputies take that report at the time that they are at the call that they uh follow the procedure as required. >> Isn't this problem going to raise havoc with the court system here? your question again. >> People aren't going to notice the difference. >> The general public would notice what we're now the court system. They will notice the difference. >> Again, as I said, the uh uh they streamlined them to the point that that they can skip a lot of the manual and policy procedures. We're asking the limit to follow each speed limit in this county. If it goes from a 55 to a 25 to a 30 to slow down to those speeds, not to continue to in order to get to the court to enable the court to open on time. If the speed limit will not allow them to get there, if the traffic will not allow them to get there to follow the traffic and the speed limit. >> Why are you doing this? >> Likelihood that it may not even be considered at that time. At this point, we don't know when the board will consider this contract. That information came from Supervisor Edelman's office. >> That once they do hear the contracts, they will approve them. They will abide by it. But our question is when are they going to hear them? >> I do not think would support this. I think that he will uh react in the manner as he did before. He will do whatever is expeditiously politically expeditious for him. >> I'm not sure I understand your question.