Placer County approves agreement with Deputy Sheriff's Association

After five years of negotiations, the Placer County Board of Supervisors approved a labor agreement with the Placer County Deputy Sheriff's Association (DSA) during its Sept. 26 meeting. Both parties had been in negotiations since March 2018. The board approved Ordinance 6104-B on Sept. 14, 2021, to impose the county's proposal of salary increases, amending incentive pay from percentage to flat amount and providing Tahoe Branch Assignment Pay for deputies who live within 50 driving miles of the Burton Creek Substation to offset housing costs in the Lake Tahoe area. According to Kate Sampson, HR director for Placer County, the prior labor agreement between the parties ended on June 30, 2018. Sampson said the terms included in the successor agreement include an immediate 10-percent wage increase, a six-percent wage increase for certain classifications, future adjustments to health insurance contributions and a $3,000 retention bonus for active members of the DSA. Sampson confirmed the agreement competes "extremely well in the county's updated labor market," as it increases transparency and promotes long-term fiscal sustainability of Placer public safety services. "... The DSA members have not received a wage increase since 2021, so this contract marks a new chapter in partnership with the DSA that reflects the parties' ability to negotiate wages that support both the recruitment and retention of law enforcement employees providing this critical public safety service," Sampson told the board. DSA President Travis Thornsberry spoke on behalf of the 240 members of the association. "It is my hope that with your approval, the agreement will set us on a trajectory for the future," he said, noting the agreement was "overwhelmingly approved" by DSA members. "A trajectory that will help the Sheriff's Office continue to recruit the best our profession has to offer so that these may join our ranks and continue to protect the way of life that we have come to know here in Placer County. Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo provided the lone comment to the board thanking both parties for their efforts in the negotiations to reach the proposed agreement. "I think that with this contract being approved today, it really does give us a sense of optimism that we're turning a corner," Woo said. "We're starting to get more competitive in the market and we're going to be fully staffed soon enough in order to keep maintaining public safety here in Placer County. The board unanimously approved the agreement in a 4-0 vote. District 5 Supervisor Cindy Gustafson was absent.