Ex-Santa Ana Police Union Boss Loses Pension Battle

Gerry Serrano, a former Santa Ana police detective, earned nearly $300,000 annually as the president of the city's police officer union. His compensation included his base salary and several pay differentials he had earned as a detective. He fought for five years in court and at CalPERS to count all of this towards his retirement income, even pay originating from perks for law enforcement assignments that he didn’t actually perform while leading the union. The 4th District Court of Appeal ruled against Serrano, stating he couldn't count perks for work he didn't do, which includes pay incentives linked to overtime, holidays, bilingual pay and uniform allowances. The court maintained this contradicted the law that requires government agencies to allow union leave "without loss of compensation or other benefits". CalPERS, providing retirement for nearly 3,000 California agencies, determined that Serrano’s income based on pay differentials for police work not performed as a union leader could not be applied to his pension and found the compensation connected to past overtime earnings also wouldn’t apply as overtime pay isn’t pensionable under state law. This case may be a cautionary tale for other unions on how to calculate labor representatives' compensation that do not give benefits out of proportion with other leadership roles.

Whether Gerry Serrano could include his entire union leader salary, including pay for duties he didn't perform, in his pension calculation.

The court ruled against Serrano, preventing him from including certain pay incentives in his pension.

It could deter some from taking union leadership roles if it means a reduction in their pensionable income.

This case highlights the balance between fair compensation for union leaders and preventing pension abuse. Do you think this ruling will impact union representation in the public sector? Let us know! Share this article with others who need to stay ahead of this trend!