McClure had offered a step increase (4 1/2%) in the first year, followed by two percent pay hikes in years two and three. In addition, he offered to bring corrections officers into the county's health care plan, a significant improvement over what they have now. This offer was rejected, and because corrections officers are unable to strike, they are entitled to and sought binding arbitration.
The arbitrator awarded 0.77% more in wages than the county had offered. What McClure liked about this award is that the "lion's share"of the increase went to officers who have been employed for 13 years or less. Those with more than 13 years are getting less money than they would have received had negotiators taken the county's offer.
"The arbitrator did for us what we were not able to do at the table with any of our bargaining units," said McClure. This suggests that perhaps some union negotiators have been more interested in taking care of themselves than in protecting members who have little seniority.
McClure said the award addresses a complaint he hears often. "We can't recruit or retain because Lehigh pays more ..."
The arbitration award will actually cost the county less than it would have paid had the union accepted the contract.
"Under our offer at the table, which was rejected for arbitration, it would have cost us $827,326. The arbitrator's binding award is going to cost us $791,164."
McClure may be pleased, but corrections officers are not. On the weekend following his announcement, 22 officers were mandated on one shift and 23 on another. This pattern continued again the following weekend. While corrections officers are being mandated, they can work 16 hours with no relief and no food
In addition, they are leaving sooner than the county can hire them.
McClure or the union might both claim a victory but it is pyrrhic. The final loser will be the officer,inmate and especially the taxpayer, who will have to pay the overtime and awards that occur as a result of civil rights violations. As a jail expert observes, “The risk of an inappropriate response to a jail incident is higher when an employee is mentally or physically fatigued.”
54 comments:
May be a good lawyer rand loves to pat himself on the back but as executive?? The fact is he has never managed anything of significance in his life is showing. This isn't a courtroom and people are not impressed with flowery speeches or braggarts,
Northampton County is doomed. We need someone who can make us great again. Or at least get us a little closer to Lehigh's level of competence.
You and me only get what we pay for. The market for talent in the blue collar arena is competitive. Let’s say ,Amazon starts paying 20.00 an hour evan if they hold your feet to the fire all day,that will shift a lot of folks out of retail.
The big union bosses may have cut a deal with McClure. Where does that leave the members. People moaned about Brown but what is this guy doing to employees and retirees. Is council aware? Can a republican be any worse?
Double shifts and no one can eat? Please explain. Interesting that allegedly guards connected with Epstein were sleeping. Sixteen hour shifts are brutal but not unheard of. You are not talking about physical labor. Lets exam sick records and need for overtime. And, how about when you have to work extra hours you stay home and get some sleep. Suck it up cupcakes. Start pressuring your fellow workers to show up. Work is not play.
Too bad union guys. McClure knows he owns your votes on election day and you have nowhere to go? What are you going to do? Vote R? Lol. Pipe down and take your crumbs and like it.
The prison Union has always shot themselves in the foot when negotiating contracts. Some things never change. They have amateurs trying to settle contracts against professionals.
Mc Clown is a Buffoon.
Blame the Union leadership that doesn't want to change the scheduling system. If they would agree to go to a 12 hr shift it would cut down on these mandated shifts. But, not they are money hungry individuals who could care less about younger officers getting stuck.
"The fact is he has never managed anything of significance in his life is showing. "
If he's doing a bad job, we could use a few Execs like him. Overall, I think he's been excellent. I would agree he needs to pay more across the board and improve on pay disparity. Union negotiating teams need to actually represent their members, and in meaningful ways. Instead of asking to have their cars detailed, they should be concerned about female COs who are getting so sick at the jail. Was this even mentioned in negotiations?
Pyrrhic victory for Pyrrhic justice.
How good are the guards? Have we ever lost a prisoner on Suicide Watch?
I am retired Corrections in Lehigh...it is very true that we are paid considerably more then Northampton Officers...in fact when I was hired in the 90's by Lehigh I was offered a job at Northampton about the same time...I took the Lehigh job even though I lived 2 miles from NCP because the pay was more and benefits were great, it was worth the drive to Allentown. I don't understand how Officer's in Northampton can't get what they deserve, because Lehigh and Northampton are in and represented by the same union!
If you are mandated you still get your breaks for food and a smoke. It isn't 16hrs. of straight working on a unit. I remember one time being mandated on a mandate and actually worked 32hrs. straight before the LT., found out and sent me home. Ah...good times! Lol
Hat tip for use of Pyrrhic. It's certainly Pyrrhic and might be Cadmean. Animal Farm's "readjustment of rations" come to mind.
We get it, you own a thesaurus. Don't have to brag about it, money bags...
"It ain't braggin' if you can do it."
- Dizzy Dean
Bring John Brown back....
If you bring John Brown back, the Slate Belt will languish without the pool they need to spur economic development. Lamont's got this.
"If he's doing a bad job, we could use a few Execs like him. Overall, I think he's been excellent"
Did Dertinger write this for you or did you get it from McClure. You had these guys pegged correctly years ago as did your buddy Ron A. You are losing your edge. Go to Gracedale. he has already made it clear to stay out of council meetings.
I am going by what I was told. Some COs are unwilling to eat the food served at the jail bc they are fearful that inmates will do something to it.
“Go to Gracedale. he has already made it clear to stay out of council meetings.”
Who is he, McClure or Dertinger? Please advise who said Gracedale employees must stay out of Council meetings, when and what exactly was said? It is inappropriate to discourage employees from discussing what goes on but it is also inappropriate to fear monger or disparage the home in front of the families of residents. If employees are being told to stay out of Council, I need to know. But if you are being encouraged to go through channels first, that seems fair. I report all the negative news I get about Gracedale, and this probably has a negative impact on census not seen in private nursing homes that do not air dirty laundry.
Im a jail employee. And I do not eat the food. I dont like urine or spit in my food. The food is cooked by inmates
Mandates at the jail are crazy again. We are up to 20-30 mandates this year already. It hasn't been this bad since 2006 when they built the new section and didnt hire anyone to work in it. Things have to change soon we are still losing employees faster then we can hire.
I know at Lehigh we didn't eat the prison food either but we ate well by bringing our own food in, ordering out and having it delivered or the snack machines.
first of all no likes to work 16 hrs 3 to 4 in a row I promise you would not be able to do it the raise only benefitrhe top people Mr McClure did not bargain in good faith those of you who dont work here need to be quiet you have no clue what goes on here you eat the inmate food u deal with all the bs some of us are locked in and yet we get no respect
your funny yes we got screwed again and we lost are steps we are corrections not slaves at what point do you people understand that this jod is hard we have no life no social life no respect and for you people who has negative talk save it they have taken everything. from us we get 1 sick day a month and u think your doing us a favor we have lost over 20 officers you would think something wrong
women cant wear nail polish we cant have are hair in a ponytail we cant wear earrings but administration can we cant be 1 min late but administration can they just spent 60000 thousand dollars on new tasers but that's ok
Anyone who wants to weigh in is more than welcome to do so. Saying people who work at the jail are the only ones who have that right is utter horseshit. If McClure failed to bargain in good faith you could have filed an unfair labor practice. So this is more horseshit. So is your claim that only the top people benefit. In fact, the arbitration award is weighed in favor of those with 13 years or less seniority. If you want to work a job about which no one can comment, join the private sector. Anyone who works for the taxpayer should always be subject to scrutiny, whether you like it or not. I am pro-employee and believe COs need more money, but I am not pro-asshole. If you want to be that way, start blogging like me.
I love reading all the negative comments from people that don't have a clue what we do here. Most of you would run for the door like a little girl if you had to be in here. Until you have done the job try keeping the negative comments to yourself.
are you sure about the only ones who made out are the people that started and the top people the ones in the middle Did not gain from this Facts read the contract
”women cant wear nail polish we cant have are hair in a ponytail we cant wear earrings but administration can we cant be 1 min late but administration can they just spent 60000 thousand dollars on new tasers but that's ok”
Now you know there are good reasons for most of this, directly related to your personal safety, although I don’t know why nail polish is a no.
well after reading all these comments. I find it interesting how there is so many different opinions no one will ever know the truth about the negotiation between the union and Mclure. but I do know there is definitely a proublem when you don't know when your going home at night.when at 9.55 your Lt are telling you your mandated and your not prepared I dont no about everyone else but I will not eat from the chow hall I rather starve imagine u sitting in a prison for 16 hrs then have yo drive yo the poconos where I live.do not under any circumstances think that we have it easy for you to think that you have the right to judge us no one knows the truth and what goes on here if you really want to know ask corrections while you sit in your fancy office with air conditioning we are dealing with murders etc
The only person who judged you was a former CO from Lehigh County. You have totally over-reacted. I do know this. The union negotiators had the wrong people on their team. I also know it is highly insulting to demand to have your cars detailed every year. That was part of the initial demand. It is hard to negotiate seriously with people who make ridiculous demands. You have serious problems, from salary compression to health of the COs. You needed to do a better job of making management aware. But it seems to me that the negotiators were unreasonable, and that is reflected in the arbitration award. I am sorry. That is my honest assessment. It serves no useful purpose to slam other people as you are now doing. You blew a good opportunity to do something that might make your lives better with a union-friendly Exec. I know COs in there who could have done a far better job negotiating than you did. Now you are locked out of a good health care plan and are getting 20 cents less per hour in differential than McClure offered. I believe you are paid too little and really need better health care. But you had the wrong negotiators. This is reflected in some of the comments saying only you have the right to speak. You are a public employee and we all have the right to speak.
we do not no what happened only what was told to us if our union sold us out shame on them. but if this in fact is true that's just horrible I dont no what's going on with medical i thought we will get it Jan 1st correct me if I'm wrong all i do know that the next go around this will not happen again
I certainly hope you are offered the new plan next year.
pure ignorance
I asked the same question and guess what I didn't get an answer
so are you saying that the union sold us out ?
I will find out on Thursday.
interesting let us no .I'm curious
there is alot of talk about dropping ASME the problem here is we cant get a straight answer
No, I am not saying you were sold out. It was just a bad negotiating team that did not look out for everyone or address issues that need to be addressed. I know you have better people there who will look out for everyone, and I will find out about medical tomorrow and report on Friday. I am very pro-employee and my honest assessment is you needed a better team. But I do not mean to suggest they sold you out for a minute.
I have been informed that corrections officers will be allowed in the county health plan starting next year, so that is a good thing.
The Union sold it's members out, that is a fact, they lied and asked for ridiculous things that make no sense and then lied to the membership when they misrepresented what the administration offered. I even heard that they only made one offer to us and walked away from the table, this is what our union does for us, it's time for a decertification vote from these do nothing Union representatives.
I want my dues money back
I'm not bashing the CO's in Norco, they are unrespected and and underpaid. I only wish they got what they deserve. The are family to me. Lehigh is ALWAYS hiring.
Retired Lehigh CO
no one knows what happened.but I find it hard to believe the union requested "company cars" to be detailed. lol
”no one knows what happened.but I find it hard to believe the union requested "company cars" to be detailed. lol”
They didn’t. They asked for the county to pay to have their personal cars detailed once every year. Hard to treat people like that seriously. I got this from someone who would not lie to me.
I was on the contract team and I find it very funny that u would think we would ask for our cars to be detailed. Lol
Maybe we should focus on why so many people are losing their jobs in the jail which add to the need to mandate us. Maybe we can't trust our brothers/sisters to do the right thing and come to work instead of using OI as an excuse or crutch, instead of calling off sick too much, instead of using FMLA for minuscule reasons knowing they can't be asked why or what for. This job as a CO is not for the faint of heart so if you can't take it, don't even both testing for the job.
Before anyone goes out injured,sick or fmla we are in need of about 180 cos a week. That's the problem Also it's not vacation or holidays those are put info a year in advance There is one problem and one problem only we dont have staff.
Amen brother. But the administration will tell us otherwise. They really appreciate us. What they say behind closed doors is a different story.
If those are your concerns then you should not be a corrections officer. Period. Seek new employment. You are a danger to those around you. Get your priorities straight.
Let me grab your ponytail as you walk down the gallery. Guarantee I could toss you over just because of your precious ponytail. Quit yesterday please.
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