Florida Prison's Can't Keep Staff

An article in Correctionsone.com states they have "hired over 2,200 correctional officers in the last year, but lost another 1,400 to turnover."

and

“Our agency is paying for the training and so they work for our department for two or three years and then leave,” she told the House committee. “The agency is unable to attract and retain a professional and high-quality staff.”

Why you might ask?

The article answers that, "Their review found that the Florida Department of Corrections lost 7,600 officers from 2012 to 2014 and the primary reason was pay."

Sound familiar? Hennepin County pays it's Detention Deputy's at the jail and it's CO's at the workhouse the lowest wages in the seven county metro area.

They can't figure out why there is such high turnover or overtime!

News Affecting Us

In the Star Tribune today there's an article entitled:

Minnesota officials take dramatic steps to restore order at Anoka-Metro mental hospital

The gist is,

"Influx of inmates and surge in violent assaults prompt state to limit county-jail admissions to Minnesota’s second-largest psychiatric hospital."

The article deals with increased assaults on staff by violent criminals and the hospital wanting to do something about how to deal with it. Of course this is in sharp contrast to the jails where we've felt we were the dumping ground for the mentally ill.

"The move to limit admissions, however, already has aroused concern from the Sheriffs’ Association. The group strongly supported the 48-hour rule because of long-standing concerns that jails had become de facto holding pens for people with mental illnesses. With their mental disorders untreated, jail inmates sometimes would lash out violently."

The next item is a recent court decision regarding the gathering of meta-data by law enforcement. From the ACLU:

Why Today’s Landmark Court Victory Against Mass Surveillance Matters

In a landmark victory for privacy, a federal appeals court ruled unanimously today that the mass phone-records program exposed two years ago by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden is illegal because it goes far beyond what Congress ever intended to permit when it passed Section 215 of the Patriot Act.

It recognizes that Section 215 of the Patriot Act does not authorize the government to collect information on such a massive scale.

Click on the link for the full story. We all know of our Sheriff's Office KIngfish system. This could reign it in. It's one thing to get a warrant to track a criminal. It's another thing to wholesale gather citizen information.

Finally, remember Dale Blom, the AFSCME 1134 President who showed up at our homes after AFSCME unlawfully obtained our addresses to harass our members? Well, the City Pages has a nice article on him. 

Hennepin County Correctional Officer Dale Blom Is a Convicted Sex Offender

Click on the picture for the full story. My favorite quote is from Chester Cooper, director of Hennepin County Community Corrections and Rehabilitation. The county considered the nature of Blom's offense and decided he was rehabilitated enough to work as a corrections officer. "He has been an excellent employee for more than 15 years."

 What is "rehabilitated enough?" 

Paychecks, Pensions, Contracts and Respect

PAYCHECKS

There are some basics to the employer/employee relationship. Getting paid is one of them. The Star Tribune is reporting what we already know, "Glitch delays Hennepin County employee paychecks." Most of realized Friday morning we had not been paid. As the day wore on some were paid and others not. Some only received $50, others checks were hundreds short. 
“Nobody lost any money but they didn’t get paid in a timely fashion,” Dave Lawless, the county’s director of finance and budget, said Saturday. “We’re still running down what happened and it should all be worked out by Monday, Tuesday at the latest. It was a case of ‘I got your money rather than getting mine.’ ”

“We will be talking to U.S. Bank about waiving any fees assessed to people who were affected by this error,” he said. He added that the county would consider paying any overdraft fees to an employee, should the bank balk. "   (Star Tribune)

In this day of Direct Deposit, many also have automatic withdrawals on payday.Car loans, mortgage payments, &c. No deposit means overdrafts and overdraft fees. Nice to know our employer will "consider" covering them.

When I left work I had already spoken to a Sheriff's Office payroll employee, who will remain anonymous, he said that County Payroll left work on time on Friday and wouldn't be back until Monday! If this is true it certainly shows a lack of respect for their employees and the hardships this causes. 

PENSIONS

It appears there is a move to add other people to our Correctional Pension. You can read about it here: 

Pension Commission Considers Bill to Expand Correctional Plan

CONTRACTS

As you know we are currently in contract negotiations with Hennepin County. AFSCME has reached a tentative settlement with the County. The 2.5% cost of living offered for 2014 and 2015 is behind the 3% State Corrections received and the 1% Market Adjustment for 2014 & 2015 amounts to only about 27 cents a year. 

Had we not been so far behind this would be a decent offer, but we are the lowest paid corrections officers in the metro area and this offer will not change that.

MNPEA is asking for a $3.00 an hour market adjustment. We are currently $2-4 an hour behind all of the other smaller seven county metro area jails. See previous blog article.

RESPECT

The current situation is this. Our pay is miles behind our nearest counterparts, Our employer, rather than viewing our jobs as essential and dangerous has said, " that deputy jobs at the sheriff’s office are often entry-level and become a steppingstone for positions at other law enforcement agencies." 

Our paychecks were screwed up, which we all know can happen in the electronic age, but the employer doesn't make payroll stay the weekend to fix it, because apparently our overdrawn checking accounts can wait until Monday or Tuesday.

 The word peon comes to mind. 

County Postpones 2 year old sick time arbitration

Dear members,

Hennepin County has obtained a continuance of our 2 year old sick time grievance. It was slated for October 22nd, now it's kicked back to December or January. 

They had a list of arbitrators over a year ago when we had our last contact arbitration. It sat and fucking sat.

Finally we got a date for October 22nd. Now, again, it's not happening. Meanwhile more and more of our members keep getting written up and placed on monitored sick leave. 

For two fucking years our grievance has remained unresolved.

The County cited the fact that 2 of their 3 Labor Relations staff have resigned, including the Labor Relations Attorney who handled grievance arbitration.

Well none of these resignations were overnight. Maybe if they didn't freeze their wages so many times, like ours, they wouldn't be leaving for better paying jobs like so many of our staff.

The County reminds the arbitrator that, "It should be noted that the case in question is a contract interpretation matter which does not involve a financial remedy or any back pay." 

Let me remind the County that it is costing our members time and money (co-pays) to be forced to go to the doctor in order to return to work after calling in sick. Let me remind the County that they are self insured and it is costing them a couple of hundred dollars every time we are forced to go to the doctor for a "note from mom." 

Everyday this contract violation goes unresolved it costs our members, the county and ultimately the taxpayers money. Money wasted on unnecessary healthcare costs.

Semper Fi? Don't Apply!

Hey Marines and other veterans. Proud of your service? Did you get a visible tattoo on your arm?

Well you are not welcome to work for the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office!

The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office in Minnesota will not hire you. They have a new no visible tattoo policy and are enforcing it with a vengeance for their new hires and perspective hires.

This week a newly hired detention deputy of four months was walked out. She had a three year old tattoo on her arm that said, MPLS (short for Minneapolis).

They never noticed it during her back-grounding or training. Even though she wore a short sleeved polo shirt for training.

They didn't notice it until about 4 months into her employment. I'm told someone noticed it on her while watching a training film she was in. She was told to remove it or resign. She did neither.She offered to keep it covered. Not enough. This week she was walked out.

In discussing the tattoo policy at one of her hearings I asked about veterans with tattoos. I was told they had already turned some away.

So much for veteran friendly.

So I repeat, Semper Fi? Don't apply!


B9MR762B42N9