March 16, 2020 – The City of Long Beach is believed to be the first City to step up and provide a full 2-weeks of paid leave during any period of quarantine for its police and fire personnel due to the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak. The decision was made on Saturday, March 14, 2020, and is on the heels of an initial memorandum by the City dictating that its personnel must utilize their own paid leave instead. The Long Beach Fire Fighters Association, IAFF Local 372 & the Long Beach Police Officers Association, through Ferrone & Ferrone, immediately communicated with the City its position that the institution of such a policy is within the scope of negotiation, and that while the safety concerns relative to quarantine may, for the sake of argument, be instituted immediately, the decision to force first responders to utilize their own accrued leave could not be implemented without first meeting and conferring. FF argued persuasively that the institution of such a decision without meeting and conferring would constitute an unfair labor charge.
To the City’s credit, it acted decisively, making the correct legal and ethical decision, which is to support its first responders in their time of need. The City immediately issued a revised policy, recognizing the importance of providing support for its first responders who place their lives on the line on a daily basis. Long Beach public safety officers will now have 2-weeks of paid leave during which time they can quarantine. If during that time, the member tests positive, they will then receive Labor Code Section 4850 benefits.
