Police Union Declares Contract Talk Impasse

After more than a year of unsuccessful contract negotiations with the city, the police union this week declared an impasse and requested that a mediator be called in to help work out a compromise.

City officials and the Police Officers Assn. failed to reach an agreement at their 20th meeting Monday, officials said.

The union faxed a letter Tuesday morning to Kermit Francis, Santa Ana’s director of personnel, declaring the impasse, said Don Blankenship, POA president.

Francis said late Tuesday afternoon that he had not yet received the letter. The police union provided a copy of it to The Times.

The POA represents 500 officers and other employees, Blankenship said. The sticking points between the city and union are minor details, he said. For example, the POA is requesting direct deposit of paychecks, but that city officials have balked, saying the cost would be prohibitive.

The union hopes to have a mediator in place by Sept. 6, Blankenship said. Mediators typically confer with both parties, then reach an agreement within a day or two, he said.

If a mediator fails to broker a compromise, Blankenship said, the City Council can impose a resolution for up to one year mandating the terms of employment for the police officers.

Blankenship characterized the current negotiations, which began in June 1995, as mostly antagonistic.

But Francis, who said that the contract impasse would be the first in three years between the city and its unions, downplayed any tension. “Things are going along nicely,” he said. “Very amicable.”