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| Corrections officers reach tentative agreement with the state |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 11/03/2003 |
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Michigan corrections officers last Monday became the latest group of state workers to reach a tentative contract agreement with the state. If ratified by the members of the Michigan Corrections Organization, the contract would save the state $36 million, consistent with the proportional savings being sought from other unions and from nonunion employees, said David Fink, director of the Office of the State Employer. MCO is the fourth union to reach a contract agreement with the state. Non-unionized workers also have had to make concessions as part of the state's efforts to gain $230 million in employee savings to help balance the state budget. About $200 million of the total needed has been tentatively agreed to so far. The agreement between the state and the MCO must still be approved by corrections officers and other MCO members. Under the agreement, MCO members would work 40 hours, but get paid for 38. Unpaid hours would go into a bank that can be used toward vacation time or go into a retirement account if there are leftover hours when a worker leaves a state job. Corrections officers also no longer would get paid overtime for the six minutes they spend each day being briefed before their shifts begin. Instead, they would get 39 hours of compensatory time. The change allows the state to save money without requiring MCO members to take unpaid days off. Other deals struck so far have required unpaid days off, although the details of the days off has varied with each agreement. One of the sticking points during negotiations was whether corrections officers would continue to be paid during their lunch breaks. They said they sometimes had to respond to trouble during those breaks and so should be paid for the time. The officers will continue to be paid for their lunch breaks under the tentative deal. However, the contract contains staffing changes that are expected to add up to substantial savings. MCO chapter presidents are set to meet to review the package, according to the MCO Web site. The Michigan State Employees Association is the only union so far that has ratified a new contract. The Service Employees International Union Local 517M and United Auto Workers Local 6000 have not yet officially ratified the deals their leaders have reached with the state. |
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