Dispatchers Abandon Console for Union Strike

Five Tulare County Sheriff’s dispatchers walked off the job at midnight Wednesday, joining a county fire dispatcher and many other county employees for a one-day strike to protest what the union believes is foot-dragging over contract negotiations. The walk-out left only a dispatcher trainee and a dispatcher with 7 months of experience to handle dispatching. The Service Employees International Union Local 521 has been talking with county representatives since March, but talks have been on-and-off. Union officials said they asked dispatchers to make sure there were enough personnel to handle calls and incidents, but said they didn’t have the authority to order the dispatchers to stay on the job. County officials say the walk-outs didn’t affect public safety. Sheriff’s dispatcher Edna Perkins, 52, is a 22-year veteran, and told a reporter she makes $1,600 a month (although the county’s Web site says top pay is $3,840.75). After the walk-out, a supervisor and deputies were called in to fill the vacancies. Read more here. [Editor – This is the first on-duty union walk-out that I’ve ever heard about.]