Los Angeles County supervisors today unanimously approved a 10 percent pay raise for firefighters, deputy sheriffs, criminalists, correction officers, coroner investigators, probation officers, supervising child support officers and deputy district attorneys.
The raise will be spread out over three years, according to labor pacts the county reached with unions representing those workers.
The projected gross cost of the agreements is $44.6 million in fiscal 2015-16, $57.7 million in 2016-17, $54.3 million in fiscal 2017-18 and $23.1 million in fiscal 2018-19, according to information provided by the county.
The board has yet to reach an agreement with those unions on a fringe benefits package.
The membership of Service Employees International Union Local?721, which represents about half of the county’s more than 100,000 employees, is voting to ratify a 10 percent pay raise over three years, as well as a fringe benefits package that includes an extra week of vacation for workers with 24 or more years of service, a new paid holiday beginning in 2017 on Cesar Chavez Day, which will be recognized on the last Monday of March, and hikes in the county’s contribution to health-care benefits.
The SEIU membership will vote on their labor pact through Nov. 19.
It is expected that the fringe benefits pact reached with the SEIU will be extended to all of the unions due to a “me too” clause in county union contracts.
The board had approved a 10 percent pay raise in September for sheriff’s department sergeants and lieutenants, deputy probation officers, lifeguards and public defender investigators.
County spokesman David Sommers said he expected the next set of labor pacts to go before the supervisors in mid-December.