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| 'Blue Flu' Hits San Joaquin County Jail |
| By KCRA |
| Published: 12/11/2002 |
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Dozens of correctional officers in the San Joaquin Valley came down with the 'blue flu' Monday, calling in sick to protest their contract situation. Of the 39 San Joaquin County correctional officers that were supposed to show up for work Monday, only four did. The parties have been at an impasse since February. The San Joaquin County Correctional Officers Association is seeking a jump in starting salaries from $38,976 to $41,234. The county has not budged from its offer of $40,535 offer since negotiations began more than a year ago. The sickout has a different impact on all involved. Officers are unfamiliar with the inmates they have to oversee. For friends and family, it means no visits because the replacement officers do not understand the computer system. And for San Joaquin County residents, it doesn't mean the community is less safe, but it does mean a lot of public money is going toward prison officers borrowed from the California Department of Corrections and sheriff's deputies being ordered to work overtime. The county calls the sickout and illegal job action. The president of the San Joaquin County Correctional Officers Association, Sgt. Gary Padula, says he was caught off guard by the sickout. 'We have tried to negotiate this contract, following all the proper rules of negotiation. But our membership has become more and more unhappy about the county's unwillingness to bargain with us in good faith. And I think they got fed up,' Padula said. Both parties are scheduled to go to non-binding arbitration in January. |
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