Contract Negotiations: Frequently Asked Questions
Why are negotiations with the District happening?
We became Park Rangers because we care about protecting regional open space. We use the tools of law enforcement, fire suppression, and emergency medical response to make sure that this regional district is able to be a safe place for visitors to enjoy now, while preserving it for future generations.
The Midpeninsula Open Space District has required that we continue to perform these labor-intensive and highly-skilled roles until the set retirement age of 62. Our question is whether the general public wants geriatric rangers coming to rescue them if there’s an accident on the trail or trying to protect this treasured space from fire season. We believe that park rangers should be on a Public Safety Retirement plan with the retirement age of 57 with the support and additional protection of Industrial Disability Retirement (IDR) if we are disabled on the job. The district has refused to acknowledge that Rangers put themselves at risk protecting the preserves and their visitors – something that no other role in the district does. The public wouldn’t receive the same value from the open space preserves if the nearest qualified first responders were physically unable to provide aid, or if they injured themselves in the process of administering it. This is why we are asking the district to change our retirement options.
Why are you asking for more in your employment contract?
The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District Board of Directors has refused to acknowledge that benefits are part of the compensation package offered in exchange for our work and willingness to put ourselves on the line for the preserves and their visitors. While the district sets our annual wages at the median of selected comparative agencies, they have not acknowledged that benefits are a critical part of the compensation package.
Prior to the pension reform act, Rangers had a reasonable retirement age of 55, but now the majority of our members are scheduled to retire at the age of 62. We are asking for a retirement age of 57 so that we can fully help the public and physically do the job we were hired for until we retire.
Why are Rangers important? What do you even do?
Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District Rangers are the first responders to emergencies within the preserves. When the preserve itself or its visitors face an emergency situation, it is the rangers who are the first responders on site. This protection is issued through three main elements – law enforcement, fire suppression, as well as emergency medical response and rescue. Whenever we get a call, we want to be capable of handling the situation, even at risk to ourselves in order to ensure the safety of the preserves and their visitors. However, the threat to the rangers’ personal safety is increased as the rangers get older with the increase in the retirement age.
The Ranger law enforcement duties ensure the preserves are a benefit to all. By enforcing the District’s Ordinance Rangers protect sensitive habitats from damaging activities, and ensure physical safety to visitors by deterring dangerous or reckless behavior. These and other similar actions put Rangers at risk. Rangers are one of the most frequently assaulted groups of law enforcement due to the remoteness of the job and the inability for backup to respond quickly. However, we put ourselves on the line to protect the preserves and their visitors– a risk that only increases as rangers approach the new retirement age of 62.
Fire suppression tactics are an increasingly important part of California open space, and Rangers are expected to engage with a fire by suppressing when possible and coordinating with supporting fire departments. This critically important work is physically demanding, comes with inherent risk, and also helps to keep our open spaces, visitors, and neighbors safe in the inevitable event of fires.
Rangers also come to the aid of injured preserve visitors and can be the deciding factor as to whether an injury is fatal or not. Equipped with a medical bag that includes tools to help assist with critical injuries in remote locations, park rangers are prepared to locate and assist park visitors who experience issues ranging from minor sprains and swellings to traumatic injuries or medical emergencies. Attending these incidents can require a great deal of physical exertion, sometimes physically carrying injured patients from the preserve using specialized equipment from remote locations.
All of these job duties are done in addition to occasional participation with search and rescue, preserve maintenance duties, natural resource projects, as well as providing visitor services and interpretive programs.
Why are you asking for additional benefits when rangers already get benefits like housing when you wouldn’t get that if you worked anywhere else?
The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District offers Staff housing at a partial discounted rate when they are able to offer a benefit to the district such as being “on-call” for emergencies 24/7, as well as providing maintenance and fire clearance of residences on the district property.
If you are no longer able to provide this service to the District the discounted rate or your ability to stay in housing is not guaranteed. For example in the event of a traumatic injury on the job, if you can no longer complete your job duties as assigned due to injury or disability your housing and job may be at risk. Alternate job accommodations are not guaranteed.
Why do the Rangers want to be cops?
We took this job because we care about conservation and want to preserve and protect open space. The rangers who protect Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District’s preserves care deeply about the place they work in and want to ensure this space is available for future generations. We don’t want to be city police officers, but we do want to be recognized as public safety professionals who ensure the general public can enjoy their visits to the park in a safe way, while maintaining the laws that protect the preserves themselves.
Why are you asking for public safety retirement now? The PEPRA law was passed in 2013 why wait until 2022?
We have been asking the District for public safety retirement for many years, going back to when Santa Clara County Park Rangers received this benefit. After the Public Employees Pension Reform Act (PEPRA) law changed in 2013, increasing the Rangers retirement age to 62, we realized that this will create a crisis. We attempted to negotiate for public safety as a joint union with the Field Employee’s Association in 2015 and 2018 and were unsuccessful. 2022 is the first time that the Midpeninsula Rangers Peace Officers Association will be negotiating as an independent association. We are doing this now because every year that passes more Rangers retire and as new people are hired they are under the new PEPRA law. We have to address this issue before the majority of our Rangers are in their 60s, endangering themselves and the public because of their inability to retire at a reasonable age for the work that we do and is standard for the public safety profession.