Local Government TV

Monday, September 30, 2019

NorCo COs Deny They Refused To Discuss Schedule Change

When Lew Donatelli's father passed away in March, his sister asked him to organize pictures his mother had taken over the years. He found five drawers filled with hundreds of them. When he began looking through them, he noticed something odd. He was absent from  most of these family celebrations and milestones. Not because he wanted to be. He had no choice. He is a Northampton County Corrections Officer (CO).

I recently met with Donatelli and Russell Attanasio, another CO who happens to be the union president. They were both on the negotiating team in the latest contract talks, which resulted in a binding arbitration award. They both want to respond to a recent NorCo op-ed, published here, concerning the manpower crisis and high turnover at the jail.

They are both long-time county employees, hired at a time when there was little turnover or overtime at the jail. They routinely were awarded step increases (4 1/2%) as they gained experience. A veteran officer received a lot more money than a new hire.

Times have changed.

According to these senior officers, the changes began with former County Executive Bill Brackbill. Pencil pushers is the county realized it was cheaper to mandate overtime at a 24/7 facility than make new hires. That practice continued and actually increased after Brackbill left. Last year, for example, both officers were mandated to work a second shift at least 25 times.

They met with me in response to two stories about the manpower crisis at the jail. I attributed the problem to low salaries. The county, in a separate unsigned op-ed, responded that salaries are comparable to what is paid elsewhere, and the real reason for the turnover is the union's unwillingness to change its schedule.

This was news to the union.

They want to correct this claim and what they say are other errors in the county response.

1) The Union Never Refused to Discuss Scheduling. - The County insists that overtime at the jail is "the Result of a Schedule Which the Union Does Not Want To Change." It argues this refusal led to $1.73 million in overtime in 2018. It even slurs corrections officers for taking vacations, which are no greater for them than the rest of the county workforce. "The facts demonstrate that the schedule that the COs work needs to be reformed to be fairer to all the COs and not just the most senior COs," claims the county.

Sounds good. Complete nonsense.

Donatelli and Attanasio were both astonished by this accusation because a change in scheduling was never brought up during any of the negotiation sessions with the county. Only two matters were discussed, health benefits and wages. Scheduling came up with the current administration for the first time during arbitration, along with proposed changes in 30 of 43 articles in the union contract.

Scheduling did come up once before, on August 12, 2015, during a meeting at the jail under former Executive John Brown. The County broached the subject of either 12-hour shifts or a 5 day on, 2 day off schedule.

These veteran correction officers had one question about a 12-hour schedule. What happens if you have to mandate someone? Wouldn't this mean an officer could be forced to work 36 hours straight?.

That was the last time a schedule change was broached.

How about five days on, two days off? "We'd have to be the two biggest dummies in Northampton County to say No to that," said Donatelli. Pointing to his and Attanasio's seniority, he said they'd be guaranteed every weekend off. But they are the two biggest dummies in Northampton County. They think this would be unfair to fellow corrections officers, and said there's a need to have some senior officers covering shifts.

As things stand now, these senior officers work every other weekend just like everyone else. They both resent the county's misrepresentation about them, and rightly so.

They both agree the real issue is retention.

They have always been willing to discuss changes in the schedule.

The County, if truly interested in solving the manpower crisis at the jail, could ask the union to discuss this matter

2) The County Saves Money By Paying $1.73 million in overtime. - A study of the jail conducted under former Executive John Brown concludes it should be manned by 44 more officers than the 203 currently assigned. But guess what? Those additional officers, at an average of $66,000 per year with benefits, would cost the County $2.7 million. So the County actually saves $1 million per year by mandating overtime instead of hiring people and paying them what they are worth.

This might be fiscally prudent. But it balances the budget on the backs of the county worker.

3) Does County Want Corrections Officers to Work With No Vacations? - In its op-ed, the County makes this complaint about corrections officers: "Data shows that the average CO at the prison works 1611 hours out of a 2080 hour work year. This means that the average CO is not available for 25% of the year, causing holes in the schedule." This language also appears in the statement of the County's Partial Arbitrator. The implication is guards are shirkers who only work when they feel like it.

The truth is that corrections officers, like everyone else who works for the county, get vacations and personal days, and those increase as they gain seniority. The "holes" are the result of earned vacations at a jail without enough officers.

Unlike everyone else at the county, these officers have to request vacations a year in advance.

Does the County want corrections officers to give up vacations and holidays?

If so, how long before other county workers are told to forget theirs as well?

If the data shows that there are holes in the schedule, doesn't this necessarily mean that more officers are needed?

This was an unfair argument.

4) The County Misrepresented Average Corrections Officer Salary. - The County contends the salaries paid to COs in NorCo are comparable and even better than elsewhere. It asserts, "In 2017 as of the expiration of the most recent labor contract, the average base salary for COs in Northampton County was $54,984. This excludes any overtime and bases average salary on where the County had the most COs—at seven years of service." Once again, this sounds good. Once again, it's completely untrue.

The average salary, in fact, does include overtime.

In fact, the average base salary in 2017, exclusive of overtime, was well below what was portrayed. It ranged from a low of $35,000 for new hires to $56,000 for officers with 18 or more years of experience.

The data used by the County is flawed.  This means that all the conclusions about how NorCo COs compare to other counties is equally flawed:


Donatelli and Attanasio wish to make clear they believe the County acted honestly, but erred and relied too heavily on written arguments made by labor lawyers..

 5) Addressing Turnover. - Both Donatelli and Attanasio agree the County is doing everything it can to attract officers in a job regarded by most as a "stepping stone." A class of 11 new guards just graduated on Friday. There still is a 25% turn over every year. Both argue this problem will persist until wages improve and salary compression stops.

Under the plan proposed by Executive Lamont McClure, officers would have received a step increase in the first year (4 1/2%) followed by two per cent raises in years two and three.

The problem is that anyone hired in 2018 is getting nothing. In the third year of the contract, these three-year veterans would be making no more money than someone who just walked in the door.

"We want the scale to function so that you move through the steps," they said. Right now, they claim it's impossible to reach the top step.

Since these veterans are already at the top of their scales, they are arguing for junior officers, not themselves.

Perhaps the County should listen.

26 comments:

  1. It was the deal cut between McClure and the big AFSMWE boss in the county. How do you think all those contracts happened?

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  2. Union busting 101 requires bifurcating the workforce via wage scales, by getting longer tenured employees to undercut their successors. At some point this was agreed to. It's difficult to put that genie back in the bottle. I doubt McClure really wants to, because he has a list of spending he'd like to accomplish and he needs all the money he can get.

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  3. Good job to both Lew and Russ its about time someone talked to someone on the outside to let the public know what is really going on at the jail we used to have a saying down there that went like this welcome to low pay and no respect.

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  4. You forgot to mention I must pay 5% of my wages towards my medical benefits and another 5% of my wages go into a mandated retirement account. Plus, these medical benefits are not what they used to be. The County changed the portion of co-pays that we have to make when going to a doctor, hospital, prescriptions, and for dependents. Much of it without union agreement. They have been screwing us since Brackbill came up with that absurd pay scale that you never reach the top. It is time someone tells he truth about this pay scale and Mr. McClure. McClure wants everyone (the employees) to think that he is on their side when in fact, he and his finance director are as bad as Brown, Stoffa, Reibman, and Brackbill put together. They all screwed the employees.

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  5. Stop placing alcoholics and drug addicts in jails, half of the problem solved!

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    Replies
    1. this is the ignorance we have to deal with.

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  6. The changes to medical, which take place next year, are a vast improvement and was a chief selling point in the contract. This was something with which both union representatives agreed. Complaints about money you pay for health insurance or an excellent pension are ridiculous. Be reasonable.

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  7. We absolutely have a proublem at the jail starting from the top! you have administration against us keep in mind they are never seen.when you have a proublem they really dont care to listen the truth of the matter is .Its never going to end.

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  8. let's talk about corrections recieving 1 sick day a month! you do realize we work in a prison .this is unheard of

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  9. No one wants to work 12hr let alone 16hrs shifts. its awful we do not want to go to working everyday wondering if we are mandated.if you go on vacation prepare your self to get mandated when you return .we had one officer get wanted 7 days in row that's inhumane.

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  10. Trough slopping union pukes all of em'.

    Clem

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  11. one sick day a month hahaha

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  12. Typical sick/personal days in the private sector = 5 to 6 per year; with no carryover.

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  13. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  14. "The county, in a separate unsigned op-ed..."

    I'm actually surprised that you are taking any stock into what the op-ed had to say due to it being unsigned. It was my impression that when someone disagreed with you, you demand that they identify them-self or simply dismiss what they have to say no matter how better their point is than yours. Weird....

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  15. Same in every jail, I'm a retired CO from LECO...I worked 76 days straight of OT and mandates. $$$ was very good though but you have zero life, you are a walking zombie. BUT...it was nice to know I had a great job, good benefits, nice newer cars a house etc.. So.....

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  16. One problem is that McClure spends all his time doing political photo ops all over the county with his county paid photographer. No time to actually look into issues like this.

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  17. 3:33, I never mind anonymous comments unless someone wants to get personal like you are or wants to have a lengthy exchange.

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  18. 4:39, McClure understands the importance of transparency and educating the public on just how the county can help. Also, his Deputy Director of Admin does an outstanding job with informative news releases and is very responsive. It’s called good government.

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  19. 4:59, Transparency? More like campaigning. The only photos and information is of McClure's mug and usually holding a big cardboard check or walking around somewhere looking at stuff.. For this you naturally need a fulltime with benefits employee following you around and taking pictures. The county website should be called the McClure personality page.

    Good government is not wasting time and money on re-election campaigns during your first term and not cutting deals with a union business agent that ensures no contract woes until after your re-election. You love the guy and he can do no wrong, yet you run this post.

    So which is it,

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  20. Jealous? Transparency is also good politics. Too bad Brown did not feel that way.

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  21. ” You love the guy and he can do no wrong, yet you”

    The world is not black and white. I can like an elected official yet disagree with some of what he does. If I only liked elected officials who agree with me 100%, I’d like no one.

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  22. So you delete my post because you don't like the truth...what a joke !

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  23. I delete you bc you personally attacked someone yet failed to iD yourself, in violation of the rules. You are the joke, and a coward.

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  24. Susan Queen killed a person because of drowsy driving and I doubt she worked 7 mandates in a row. If I work 3 mandates in a row and kill someone because of drowsy driving is it my fault or the county's? Highly doubt they'd have my back at all. Our prison is REACTIVE not PROACTIVE. Let the problem hit THEN deal with it. Let's see if they deal with 20 people walking out on their mandate at 2:30.

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