Austin, Texas - Yesterday during the Texas Legislature Appropriations Select Committee on Article V Criminal Justice funding, members of the committee heard from agency directors and union officials about the need for a markup on the existing legislative budget to cover correctional employee raises.
The committee heard from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Agency Director Brad Livingston who recommended a 10% pay raise markup for agency correctional officers and parole officers. Huntsville AFSCME Local 3807 President Lance Lowry testified about the need to increase correctional officer and employee longevity by expanding the career ladder. Lowry cited the fact early retirement and high employee turnover are contributing to the depletion of the Employees Retirement System (ERS) fund.
Currently the Employees Retirement System (ERS) is experiencing a $7.5 billion shortfall and will run out of money in 2063 unless changes are made. Several factors have lead to the fund becoming actuarially unsound including the state failing to contribute their constitutionally required amount to insure actuarially sound contributions. The Texas State Auditors Office found the Texas Legislature failed to contribute an actuarial sound contribution 19 out the last 20 years resulting in the retirement funds problems. Other practices such as early retirements and lowering the number of employees contributed to the funds insolvency.
The committee was presented with data from the AFSCME Texas Correctional Employees Union comparing the substantial difference in pay between the five largest Texas county correctional departments pay and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. On average the five largest county correctional departments in Texas make over $4,497.
AFSCME Texas political action Director Joe Hamill testified before the committee that Texas correctional employee assaults were occurring at a higher rate compared to other states and that staffing shortages may be blamed for the higher occurring incidents. AFSCME is asking for a 15% increase in correctional employee salaries and expanding the correctional officer career ladder.
I HOPE THAT ENOUGH PEOPLE WILL SUPPORT THIS AND STANDUP AND FIGHT !!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat about thr staff that goes through the same training as correctional officers but just dont wear a uniform? We are over offenders and have to train them to do jobs. We shouldn't be excluded.
ReplyDeleteMaintenance should receive a raise as well.
ReplyDeleteNickel and Dime as usual. Not fixing the problems just patching. If a CO 5 maxed out can make almost as much as a Sergeant is crazy. Still get OT and make as much if not more than a Major. Lieutenants gey screwed. Lt's should get OT. They should give a minimum of 1K across the board now, then the percent raises. The steps need to be bigger! JS
ReplyDeleteEvery TDCJ employee needs a raise. Both security and non-security staff need to be able to feed their families. Our problem is that people outside the fence don't understand the service we provide. We need to stand together and have our voices heard in the state government.
ReplyDeleteBlah blah blah blah. The same thing over and over again. Nothing is going to change.
ReplyDeleteSome people don't do their job now it should be based on job performance.
ReplyDeleteLike rick perry said your over paid baby sitters a monkey can do ur job...
ReplyDeleteWhine, cry, belly ache, moan and complain. Perhaps if we would show a little bit of gratitude, might see this happen more often. I've worn this gray suit for well over 20 years and I still can't get over the apathy and negativity that is displayed by my fellow officers. We knew what the job paid when WE ASKED FOR IT. As far as maintenance and the other departments that are complaining about our raise, go put on a gray suit and stop your whining. There are plenty of openings for correctional officers, all over the state. What? You used to wear gray? Good, we need some experienced officers. Come join us.
ReplyDeleteThere might not be as much said about the raise if the ones in uniform did their job properly and that the ones in non-uniform are doing their job also. They go to in service every year and sit thru that class learning everything about how a CO is supposed to be doing their job and how to do it. They sit for 40 hrs a year and not one thing about that class has a thing to do with their job. They turn out their workers/students every morning, doing the pat searching, strip searches to turn in for lunch, pat search to turn back out, strip search to turn in for shower then evening chow. Also doing a continuous count & 2 roster counts. All of this without the help of anyone in gray along with having them in the work place with no uniform, just maybe a handful of non-uniform supervisors to watch 100 or more offenders. Yes they knew the job when they took it and took it anyway. You can bet that if any of them are around when you need help they will have your back. Granted the units are short staffed but if the officers that are there would do their job by TDC standards it would be better and train the OJT's the right way might keep them around. You can say all you want but YES, the non uniform employees that recieve hazard duty pay deserve the raise as much as the uniform officers.
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