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| Prison officers protest proposal |
| By The Battle Creek Enquirer |
| Published: 10/27/2003 |
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Michigan corrections officers from two Coldwater-area prisons took their concerns to the streets last week. Officers held a five-hour informational picket in downtown Coldwater. "I don't feel the state employees should have to fix the deficit," said Sharon Davis, a officer at Lakeland Correctional Facility who was on the picket line. "We feel the public needs to be aware that the state is trying to balance the budget on our backs," said Jim Sims, Florence Crane Correctional Facility officer and president of the local chapter, Michigan Corrections Organization, SEIU Local 526M, AFL-CIO. The organization's officials called for an informational picket in response to a proposal from Gov. Jennifer Granholm. The proposal called for correctional officers to give up their paid half-hour lunches to help balance the state's budget. Officers must leave the prison when they're not on the clock, Sims said. "We don't think we have to risk our lives with lower staffing levels and less pay. There will be less staff during lunch breaks," Linsey Smith said. Liz Boyd, press secretary for Granholm, responded to the union complaints. "We are very aware of some of the feelings among state employees. State employees demonstrated at the state house in Lansing," Boyd said. Asking state employees to defer their pay is one of the most difficult decisions we had to make. Unfortunately, due to the budget crisis the administration inherited, this was a necessary step, she said.. Union officials have warned that the proposed policy could create a window for violence and security problems in prisons because officers would leave their prisons to eat lunch. According to Sims, Granholm is using the unpaid lunch as a bargaining tool. "Both of the proposals would put us in a bind. It's about benefits. If we lose benefits, we will never get them back," Sims said. Sims said he believes there are better ways to recover funding in the state's prisons. He said thousands of dollars have been spent to beautify prison grounds. Also, he feels the prisons are top-heavy with administration. "We are so administration-heavy it is pathetic. There are 10,000 correction officers in Michigan prisons with 7,000 administrative and support people. All we want the public to do is look at the situation," Sims said. Union officials began negotiations with the state last Monday. |
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