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| Prison officers file labor charge |
| By Philadelphia Inquirer |
| Published: 05/31/2004 |
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The union representing corrections officers at the Bucks County (Pa.) jail has filed an unfair labor practices charge over changes to work schedules. In April, the Corrections Department eliminated a number of "off shifts," requiring more officers to work standard shifts of 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., 2 to 10 p.m. and 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Officers were able to choose shifts based on seniority, according to Harris Gubernick, director of corrections. He said that fewer officers now have Saturdays and Sundays off, but that more have one weekend day off. Richard F. Batezel Jr., business agent for the union, said the changes disrupted the lives of many of the more than 200 officers at the Bucks County Correctional Facility. The new schedules caused problems for single parents, officers taking college courses, and others who had part-time jobs, he said. Last Friday, the union handed out leaflets at the county courthouse protesting the schedule changes as unfair. Batezel said the union had no plans for more leafletting, but that could change. Gubernick said the county discussed the changes with the union, Local 835 of the International Union of Operating Engineers, for several months before implementing them. He said the changes were part of a new policy of keeping the same teams of officers monitoring the same inmates every day. Gubernick said the policy, which was standard in most jails, enables the officers to better monitor inmates' behavior. He said that officers who see inmates day after day can better spot behavioral changes that could indicate problems such as depression, suicidal tendencies or scheming. Batezel said the unfair practices charge was filed in April with the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board. He said that the union had requested arbitration on the scheduling issue and that he was confident it would win. |
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