Topic: Security Central / too many new officer

I was hoping that you would reply. Thank you CO
GRIM

Topic: Letter of The Law / No lunch breaks?

Our shifts are 8.5 hours long and we are paid for 8 hours. I have been there 6 months and have never had a 10 minute break or a dedicated half hour to eat lunch. No one else gets theirs either. I wonder how long it will take for some high powered attorney to file a class action suit and get all the money for those unpaid half hour shifts. Obviously those of us who aren’t getting them are too shy to speak up. You would think some senior officers would do something. Looks like a job for Sokolove law. Too bad they’ll get all the money

Topic: A Broader View / opinions on self defense in corrections

I hear what you are saying COGRIM. Our defensive tactics training officer is involved in MMA. Something he said about it stuck with me and I think about it a lot when I do the “what if” thought process. He said most fights end up on the ground anyways.

Topic: Security Central / too many new officer

Our department hires new officers as “on-call, at-will”. This allows them to save overtime when there is a vacancy and take their sweet time filling openings. Our union has somehow joined hands with this practice.

It is common for two “on-call” employees to work together in a unit when both regular scheduled officers are off because of vacation or sick leave. This is because the staffing is so lean already. If something goes wrong they can just dump the on-call employee or both of them and who is to know the difference. In this economy it is pretty easy to hire on some more on-calls.

Really safe to have two new officers IN CHARGE of a full living unit. Or perhaps one new officer in charge of the entire recreation building.

It doesn’t matter what kind of safety measure are adopted or made policy. New personnel need to be paired with experienced because of obvious reasons. It takes time to learn to implement what you learn in training.

This practice is department wide at all security levels. We are headed for big problems. We lost a wonderful officer early this year,(murdered by an inmate) for other major safety reasons, unrelated to the on-call officer issue but this is a powder keg issue.

Topic: The Club House / on-call non-permanent

Hi,
I hired on with my department in an on-call at-will status.

I really wanted to begin work as a corrections officer and that is how this department does it.
What I am learning is that during this period, which can go on for however long, we are the unprotected employee.

I was injured at work. I did not want to report it but it was impossible to keep my injury to myself. I was in too much pain. I reported it and went to the doctor. Just a sprain.

I am now not being called for shifts even though I am okay. I am thinking that they are going to let me go as they are allowed to with my non-permanent status. They aren’t calling me for shifts so what good is it to have a job anyhow. No one has answers for me.

If I get dismissed after only working for 6 months how is it going to look to other departments when I go to interview? This really bites because I love my job.

They do not have to have a reason to let me go, but I have to have a reason to tell my prospective employers as to why I was let go. I wonder what they will tell employers who call them for a reference.

I was a little hesitant to take an on-call at-will job to begin with but thought, what the heck they are sending me to their academy they must be serious. Now I find out that we are disposable because we save them so much cost in overtime pay of other workers they don’t need to treat us right.