At Northampton County Council's September 5 meeting, corrections officers appeared to complain about "money, mandates, morale and management." They read into the record a statement from an officer, a 22-year veteran, whose wife unfortunately passed away. He has a special needs daughter, but mandates (mandatory overtime shifts of eight hours) make it necessary for him to choose between his family and his job. In fact, on Monday, he was one of the 14 officers who were forced to pull a double shift
Council member Ken Kraft, though supposedly a Democrat and retired union official, said nothing to corrections officers when they were there. He instead waited two weeks to dismiss this concern as a "sob story." He incidentally is a former jail administrator. With compassion like his, it's little wonder that morale has suffered.
Of course, there would be no need for mandates if the jail had a full complement of 212 corrections officers. But as I explained on Wednesday, there is a nationwide staffing shortage at jails and prisons. Though Executive Lamont McClure has hired 396 corrections officers, many of them quit for less stressful and higher-paying jobs. So on Monday's afternoon shift, when 14 officers were mandates, the complement of COs was only about 150.
How do mandates work? As it was explained to me, the jail administration first asks for volunteers. They are approved on the basis of seniority. But if the administration is still short, that's when officers get ordered to pull a second shift.
Let's say you're a CO, and your daughter has a birthday party on the very night you are ordered to stay. Or that you have an anniversary dinner planned with your wife. Tough shit.
"Saint Peter, don't you call me 'cause I can't go
"I owe my soul to the company store."
While corrections officers get no sympathy from the county jail administrators, they historically have looked out for each other. Someone can give his mandated double with another officer, with the understanding that he will fill in for that officer when he or she gets mandated.
The county has historically permitted these switches. It is getting the coverage it needs and without unduly stressing a county employee. But that recently changed. There are two possible reasons.
The first possible reason is that some COs began demanding money to work another officer's mandated overtime shift. Ther is nothing collegial about this kind of piggish behavior. The county learned of this practice during exit interviews with departing officers, and its remedy was to refuse to allow any switching at all.
The second possible reason is retaliation. Officers were ordered in the most recent arbitration to sit down and discuss scheduling changes with the county. The HR insisted on a town hall event with all COs because it believed the union negotiators were not being truthful with rank-and-file officers. In that town hall, the county discovered to its chagrin that union negotiators were mild in comparison to the regular officers. It realized it was going nowhere in discussing scheduling changes without agreeing to give the union something in exchange. So instead, it decided to take something away. Now, corrections officers who are mandated are unable to switch their shifts with other officers at all. Notwithstanding prior practice, the county states this switching is banned under the collective bargaining agreement.
I'd agree that no CO should be able to demand or accept money from another officer for working his shift. It's predatory.
On the other hand, it's ridiculous to prohibit an officer from agreeing to work someone else's shift, either out of the goodness of his heart or with the understanding that this favor will be returned down the road. If the collective bargaining agreement bans this practice, it needs to change. This will only increase the number of vacancies. Regardless whether it is retaliatory, it is certainly perceived that way.
Under the current schedule, officers have off every other weekend. No other county jail has this perk. If the county wants that to change, it really has to give something. On the other hand, corrections officers need to realize that the drop in staffing is a nationwide problem and should work with the county to adjust the schedule.