County board approves nearly $100M contract with law enforcement union
City News Service
RIVERSIDE (KESQ) – The Board of Supervisors today approved a new three-year contract with the union representing upper-level Riverside County sheriff’s personnel, District Attorney’s Office investigators and other county peace officers, guaranteeing pay increases to members totaling 19% over the duration of the compact.
In a 5-0 vote without comment, the board authorized implementation of the $96.79 million collective bargaining agreement between the county and the Law Enforcement Management Unit, which takes effect immediately. It will expire on June 30, 2028.
Like the $164 million agreement the board approved in December for the Riverside Sheriffs’ Association, which represents line deputies, automatic pay hikes are at the core of the LEMU contract and apply to all members, according to the terms.
Sheriff Chad Bianco informed the board during budget hearings last month that the LEMU and RSA agreements bore unavoidable impacts to the departmental budget.
The first across-the-board hike, totaling 9%, will go into effect immediately. The next auto hike, totaling 5%, will take effect on Dec. 11, 2025, and the final 5% hike will be added to LEMU members’ paychecks beginning Dec. 10, 2026, according to the agreement.
The county General Fund will cover roughly three-quarters of the contract costs, while the sheriff’s, D.A.’s and Department of Public Social Services’ budgets will cover the remainder.
“Approving the terms of this memorandum of understanding will help the county remain market competitive in attracting and retaining qualified public safety employees,” according to a Department of Human Resources statement posted to the board’s agenda Tuesday.
More than 400 employees are covered under the compact, which encompasses supervisory sheriff’s sergeants, lieutenants, captains, senior aviation personnel, District Attorney’s Office bureau commanders, DPSS chief investigators and DPSS welfare fraud investigative managers.
The bargaining unit’s previous five-year compact with the county was due to expire at the beginning of February, but according to human resources administrators, LEMU negotiators wanted to initiate talks on another contract early, so that process started in March, formally ending just over a week ago with a tentative agreement, which the board formalized.
The new compact features an automatic 40 additional hours of “special vacation time,” which can be applied any time. However, unlike other vacation leave to which members are entitled, the special time cannot be redeemed or cashed out. LEMU members already accrue annual leave at one hour per pay period.
Sick leave will accrue at four hours per pay period, and qualifying members will be entitled to accrue one hour of pay for every eight hours he or she is placed on “standby duty,” awaiting possible callout to perform functions during what might otherwise be days or time off.
Designated “crisis negotiators” will realize a $50 bump per period solely by having that designation, whether the parties are deployed. Further, the new contract requires an automatic 5% upward adjustment in base hourly pay for those operating under “special assignment” designations, including laboratory analysts, hazardous devices — or bomb squad — supervisors, mounted enforcement detail and motorcycle unit supervisors.
The county’s contributions to members’ medial-dental-vision insurance plans shall, for one insurance recipient plus one dependent, go from $1,611 per month now to $1,711 per month in November, where it will remain. For those members with two or more dependents, under the “family plan,” contributions will increase from $2,087 to $2,187 per month.
There will, lastly, be pay increases for welfare fraud specialists, rising anywhere from 2.7% to 12% in hourly hikes, depending on the level of certification.
“By ensuring that salaries remain aligned with the organizational structure and long-term workforce goals, the county can better support clear promotional pathways and provide meaningful incentives for career growth,” the Department of Human Resources said.