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| State prison worker unions opt for contract changes to save jobs |
| By sacbee.com - Jon Ortiz |
| Published: 10/19/2011 |
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As the state's massive prison and parole department begins a historic downsizing to cut costs and comply with court orders, it's getting a hand from organized labor. The California Correctional Peace Officers Association and five other unions have signed contract amendments for Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation employees that set aside some job protections, drastically cut employees' state-paid moving allowances and aim to reduce prison officer overtime costs. The state estimates the deals will save about $13 million in this fiscal year, compared with the traditional layoff process. In exchange, unions hope fewer workers will lose their jobs as the department shifts some of its responsibilities to local government. That process started Oct. 1, aiming to cut the state's prison and parole costs over several years. By September, the state's 63,000-employee prison and parole agency had issued more than 2,100 warning notices, the first wave of several to come. Although the state and the unions say the agreements are a plus for both sides, some employees are unhappy that they may have to uproot. CCPOA spokesman JeVaughn Baker said Tuesday that the concessions aren't "ideal" and acknowledged that some union members are upset at the prospect of moving to remote facilities around the state. "However, we also understand that CDCR is downsizing," Baker said, "and it is better for our members to relocate than to be jobless in this struggling economy." Ron Yank, who heads Gov. Jerry Brown's Department of Personnel Administration, said the agreements are a "win-win" for the government and its employees. "We – the state – will save millions of dollars by moving people from places we don't need them to places where we're understaffed," Yank said Tuesday. "The employees get certainty in uncertain economic times." Read More. |
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