Wake Up And Smell The...

AlarmClock

I was a bit surprised by the letters we received after my column regarding prison unions was published (Corrections, “The Ultimate Prison Gang,” April 2013). While it’s gratifying to learn the piece generated contemplation and reaction, it’s not the reaction I intended. Some readers felt my views cast dispersions on prison employees in general. This could not be further from the truth. In reality, there are few people I respect more than those guarding the gates. They do so without the protection of deadly weapons in an environment overflowing with the most violent people in society. The intent of the article was to give those dedicated to the field of corrections a wake-up call. If the same wake-up call is due in other areas of law enforcement, then I leave that call to the specialists in those areas.

What’s Their Purpose?

The unionization of the American worker has taken a dramatic decline. Most recently, I learned less than 12 percent of all workers are unionized. I suppose this decline is rooted in the collapse of the steel industry 43 years ago; deregulation of air, railroad and telecommunication industries further eroded the unionized workforce. More recently, unions caught much of the blame when our government found it necessary to bailout the automakers. And as if nothing is sacred, Hostess Twinkies recently bit the dust as a result of a union strike forcing the company to close up and file for bankruptcy. Are you still sleeping?
Do you even know anyone who actually voted to unionize within your agency or are they all long gone? These elections occurred so long ago I doubt anyone is still around who played a part in unionizing prison employees. I started working in the field in 1983 and cannot recall voting for anything other than a change in representation. I propose it’s time to closely evaluate our representation and reform our unions, or learn to live without them.

You may think me illogical to compare these private sector unions with those in the public sector, but I say the comparison is valid. When folks in the private sector are losing their jobs or making pay and benefit concessions, it stands to reason they’ll call for reform and similar concessions in the public sector. After all, they’re paying for it.

There is absolutely no place for adversarial management employees. Employees who advance to levels of leadership represent the agency, the taxpayers and the prison population and should do so with integrity. If they’re inadequate and house cleaning at the top is necessary, agencies have no obstacles for getting out the broom. Unfortunately, housekeeping is not designed to be easy when dealing with inappropriate union representatives and they know it. They frequently ride rough shod in order to prove their points. I am admittedly strongly opposed to union organizations taking an adversarial approach to representing their members and liken it to them herding their sheep to slaughter, as evidenced by the loss of jobs in the many industries represented by these “powerful” unions.

What The Numbers Say

Unproductive behavior by union officials adds expense to prison operations not passed on to their members in wages or benefits and increases stress in the workforce. Employees are routinely discouraged from participating in managerial decisions. I’ve heard, “Let them figure it out, they’re making the big bucks. We’ll just grieve it when they get it wrong,” and managers often get it wrong without the officers’ participation. There are poor managers out there making bad decisions, and the unions are licking their chops. With lots of blame to spread around, the expense kicks in. Are you still sleeping?

Let’s talk about those big bucks. In the last prison I worked before I retired in 2009, several first-line corrections officers made 6-figure salaries. They made more than all of the facility’s administrators. They used overtime and “walk-time” to do so, but the money was there. In 2011, a Bloomberg report cited California as having 11,000 state prison workers making six figures, and the top paid officer in New York was paid $170,000 — as a sergeant. While this may not be typical of many prison jurisdictions in some areas of the country, this is consistent with the Bureau of Labor’s statistical reports of higher wages in California, the Northeast and the Great Lakes region.

My views are not rooted in a Tea Party mentality or a deeply held administrative philosophy. They’re based on 27 years of experience working in four different prisons from minimum to maximum security, Corrections Officer to Superintendent. I held a union office while I was a corrections officer for 2 years where I spent time trying to convince other union officers to participate in meaningful discussions. I eventually promoted to the level of Superintendent where I was involved in labor management deliberations and contract negotiations while still trying to engage participants to work together for the common good.

My perception of contract negotiations could fill an entire magazine but suffice it to say, the unembellished truth will get corrections employees the best deal every time. It’s time to wake up and redirect your union representation so you won’t find yourself working for a private firm who skims salaries and benefits to turn a profit. The Bureau of Labor statistics show private firms pay their employees on average nearly $9,000 less than government operated prisons.