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Legislation

82nd Legislative Session

AFSCME/CEC 7
Seventeenth Legislative Update
05-17-2011

2011 82nd Legislative Session will be a Bloodbath for State Employees

February 23, 2011

Austin, Texas

Under the guidance of Senator Tommy Williams (R / The Woodlands) and Warren Chisum (R /Pampa), the Texas Conservative Coalition is after state employee's pay and benefits. In Senate Bill 1 under Article V, both a roll back of the 2010 and 2011 pay raise is in place, which may make TDCJ Correctional Officers the lowest paid in the United States. Texas Correctional Employees have one of the highest turnover rates in the United States.

A reduction in the Texas Employee's Retirement System funding would force ERS for the first time to impose a $125 monthly premium from State Employees and retirees on basic health insurance. Texas has one of the lowestpaidcorrectional officer's salary states in the United States, ranking 47 in the nation on the state correctional officer pay scale.

This session some rich uncaring legislators wish to balance the state budget on the backs of underpaid state employees, while increasing the prison population, creating more work for TDCJ Employees. The average correctional officer stands to lose over $300 per month from their paycheck if some of the Texas Republican leadership has its ways.

TDCJ EMPLOYEES MAY GO ON STRIKE BY QUITTING

Who is on the Menu

January 12, 2011

This article is written for those of you who are concerned, and value your jobs. It is written for those of you want to support themselves, your families, and care about the welfare of your fellow correctional officers.

The Legislature of the State of Texas meets in Austin every other year. This year 2011, is a year that the Legislature meets, and it is doing so now - from January to June, 2011.

During the Legislative Session laws will be passed that will have a direct bearing, and effect, on you, your job, and your families.

We have all heard about the "State Deficit"! What exactly does that mean, and why should you care? The Deficit means; because of the economic times the State of Texas is projected to have to spend more money than the State will take in. By Law the State of Texas can not do that. The State must 'Balance the Budget'!!

Again why should you care? Because, to balance te budget the State will have to cut spending (cut jobs, salaries, benefits - and on and on.) I hope you as a Correctional Officer, (a State Employee) get the picture.

Correctional Officers in the State of Texas are in serious jeopardy!!! Who stands on the WALL, protecting, and fighting for you? The American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees does!!

AFSCME staff members visit the Texas State Representatives, and Senators; in the year they are not in session, in their local, and regional offices. During the session AFSCME staff members walk the corridors, halls, and floors of the Capital in Austin. They are in and out of every Legislators office, pleading, asking and demanding - with one purpose only - BENEFIT THE CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS OF THE STATE OF TEXAS!!

There are two things you as a Correctional Officer can do to help yourselves.

1.) Call your Senator, and/or State Representative. If you need their address, or telephone number, or e-mail, or if you need to find out who does represent you, call the local AFSCME office or the regional office in Huntsville (1-800-374-9772).

Each Legislative Session AFSCME sponsors a "Lobby Day". Get involved, go to Austin with your fellow C.O.s, and voice your opinion.

2.) Join the AFSCME union and help fight for yourselves. Look at the website cec7.org, see what the Union is doing for you, and see what the agenda is.

CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS REMEMBER THIS:

"If you don't have a seat at the table - You will be on the menu!"

If you Correctional Officers don't fight for your pay, your jobs, your benefits, your professional respect - YOU WILL LOSE! Just how much can you afford to lose? It's up to you!!

All C.O.s should be thankful for those of you who are members of AFSCME, you are fighting the fight!

GOD BLESS AMERICA - GOD BLESS TEXAS - GOD BLESS THE UNION

LA Olsen

Texas Budget Deficit

January 12, 2011

Toby Tobias, AFSCME/CEC 7
Huntsville, TX

"Either TDCJ has a seat at the table, or they could be on the menu."

I know it sounds harsh, impossible, outrageous and preposterous - more like science fiction - that our great state faces a twenty to twenty-five billion dollar deficit.

The above mantra, "a seat at the table", is neither a cruel omen, joke, threat nor nightmare. It is FACT and the quicker TDCJ Correctional Officers get a grip on that, the better position they are in to make a difference - a big difference.

It is one thing for the TDCJ administration, under the direction of Executive Director Brad Livingston and his dedicated team, to burn the midnight oil in preparing not one, not two, but three budget plans to preserve the "public safety" while providing essential services for one of, if not the, largest correctional systems in these United States.

Let's examine the facts: First, they were directed to cut their 2012-2013 biennium budget by five percent (5%). They did, and they did a hell of a job in doing so. Instead of losing some 250 million, they put a straight forward plan in place citing where they could cut and still maintain a strong correctional system, providing these public safety essentials without losing a single uniformed Correctional Officer, and all but some 50 million+ were exempted, and this plan was accepted. Good work, so far.

Then phase two fell. The powers at be sent the word "not enough;" now give us another ten percent (10%) for the 2012-2013 biennium, and this time nothing is exempted; everything is on the table for consideration. This is not just another headache; this is an ongoing, never ending, migraine, many sleepless nights, with perhaps some paregoric thrown in.

Again, the administration prepared the requested budget plan cuts, and again standing firm in preserving public safety an essential services across the TDCJ spectrum of responsibilites while holding firm across the board. As yet no one knows the State's position on this second TDCJ budget plan cuts, or if there will be any exemption as it relates to public safety, as it did in the first budget plan.

Now, the third TDCJ budget debacle was dropped. The word from the Capitol was we now need a 2.5% budget cut out of your current budget, which ends August 31, 2011. Folks, do the math. The total for these three state-directed budget cuts is a whopping unheard of 17.5%. I should point out that all state political subdivisions are under the same budget restraints but, due to TDCJ's size, it stands to be hammered hard.

It is one thing for your TDCJ administration to stand up for the Agency's good and welfare germane to budget cuts. The state legislative body, as a whole, expects it. It is something else again when the individual uniformed Correctional Officer, singly and collectively as a body of employees, takes a stand in extrapolating support for their employer - The Texas Department of Criminal Justice. I assure you this is not expected by the legislative body from the TDCJ employee student body, and it can and will make a difference. All you need do is "take a seat at the table" and express your concerns by way of phone calls, e-mails, faxes and just plain old hand-written letters to our legislative body - the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Now that you have a seat at the table, let's parlay it into some real consequences. AFSCME/CEC 7 - the Union - or, if you prefer, the employee organization who is certified to represent State Correctional Officers, will be sponsoring two or three Correctional Officer Lobby Days for the up-coming legislative session. The first is scheduled for March 24, 2011. For information on how to join in on our Lobby Day, call 1-800-374-9772. Incidentally, we secured TDCJ's authority for Correctional Officers to wear their uniforms on Lobby Day at the Capitol.

When 150 or more Correctional Officers descend on the Capitol you light it up. Within five minutes of your arrival every House and Senate member will know you are there and will be expecting a drop in at their Capitol office. This is "your seat at the table; take advantage of it; don't leave it empty" for someone else to run under you. At the end of the day these House and Senate members know only too well that as you move through the Capitol Legislative Offices, that you are "Texas' Finest" and where the rubber meets the road, working the runs, the pickets, perimeter security, turn keys and every other position.

After all, this is the legislative body who wrote your job description: to provide care, custody, control and good welfare for one of the largest inmate populations in the United States. Your uniformed presence will convey to the Capitol body your commitment in supporting TDCJ's budget plans in adhering to the highest level of public safety in the general public's interest and, at the same time, preserve your employment integrity.

Suffice it to say AFSCME/CEC 7 will remain optimistic that our legislative body will make the proper decisions in upholding the very highest public safety standards, staffed by the current TDCJ uniformed Correctional Officer levels, to ensure that there is not the slightest drop off of the present standards. To do otherwise would be to drop the bombs on us and watch us live in the ashes.

Lastly, how does the "seat at the table" fit you now? It is time to let someone else be on the menu. AFSCME/CEC 7 and all of our state-wide locals look forward to sharing a Correctional Officer Lobby Day March 24th. Good luck and we will see you there.

82^nd Legislative Session Goals

This is a quick glance at what we will work on in the upcoming 82nd legislative session:

1. Stop any layoffs.
2. Stop any further erosion of benefits for current employees or retirees.
3. Stop proposed attacks on pension.
4. Stop any attempts at privatizing any state units.
5. Close private units as a cost savings before any state employees or state units are cut.
6. Introduce Comp-time bill to extend the use of comp-time up to 2 years before you loose it instead of losing it after just one year.
7. Tuition reimbursement for state correctional officers.
8. TDCJ unit access to turn outs on a limited basis. Council staff and or stewards would be allowed to speak at unit turnouts in a limited capacity one each quarter to inform employees of policy changes , upcoming events etc. we believe that having an employee advocate on the units on occasion will do a great deal for officers morale and help stop the massive and costly turn over with TDCJ.
9. Improve training.
10. Stop turnover rate for officers.
11. Hazardous duty increase for non-security up to the correctional officers rate.
12. Arbitration as a fourth step in the grievance procedures for both TDCJ and UTMB and Texas tech and Windham School district.

These are a few of the things we are working on for the 2011 legislative session. We do not stop for rest but we keep moving forward for “you” help us to fight these battles.

81st LEGISLATIVE SESSION OUTCOME

By Toby Tobias, September 9, 2010

This is a very difficult piece for me to pen. How do we (AFSMCE/CEC7), as an employee organization - THE UNION - express our disappointment, frustration and outright anger, if not disbelief, in the legislative outcome on TDCJ’s Correctional Officer Comprehensive Pay Package and the Adjusted Pay Package for non-corrections officers, Industry workers, clerks, and others . If we felt like we were the weak link we could apologize, say we were sorry and let it go at that. But, that did not happen. For sixteen months prior to the Legislative Session beginning January 2009, we put together a long-range strategy to maximize a favorable outcome, including securing permission for correctional officers to wear their uniforms to the Capitol on three major and one minor Lobby Days; rented vans to convey hundreds to the capitol; fed and watered them while they were there; held countless meetings on how to maximize their efforts while lobbying; published numerous newsletters on expectations; handed out legislative blue books and answered countless questions. NO, the break down did not occur with AFSCME/CEC 7 or employees of TDCJ; it falls squarely on the legislative body, in spite of everything that was done.

To all AFSCME/CEC 7 Staff, members and volunteers: THANK YOU! To all of the correctional officers and non-corrections employees who used their precious accrued time and holidays by taking off whenever possible to travel to Austin, give yourselves a “well done.” You deserve it and we applaud you for it.

There was good reason for us to expect a better-than-average outcome for TDCJ employees. After all, most legislators and senators were aware that TDCJ Correctional Officers are ranked 47th out of the fifty states in pay compensation. And, in January 2008, Brian Olsen, Executive Director of AFSCME/CEC 7, to his credit, penned a letter to the Governor regarding shortages, turnover rate and working conditions, recommending an emergency 10% across-the-board pay raise for uniformed correctional officers. Weeks and months followed without any acknowledgement by the Governor’s office and, suddenly, we were advised that a 10% pay raise was authorized for COI’s and COII’s effective May 1, 2008, which did not include the veterans. Although disappointed we came to understand this 10% was to address primarily the officer shortage and turnover rate, etc.

This action was followed by Brad Livingston, Executive Director of TDCJ, and his administration recommending a comprehensive pay plan of 20% for Correctional Officers and around 10% for all others. Now, let me tell you folks, that took a lot of brass for your Executive Director to put forth a recommendation of 20%, especially since it is one of the largest political subdivisions of state government. We supported the recommendation.

Well, as you probably know by now, the senate Budget included a 10% pay raise for uniformed Correctional Officers while searching for the other 10%, and was sent to the House of Representatives. The House budget recommended a 5% pay raise for uniformed Correctional Officers - if they could find it. All of this political posturing makes you wonder if the Senate could find 10% for a pay raise, why couldn’t the House. They are all looking at the same dollars. In the end, a 7% pay raise was agreed to for uniformed officers assigned to prison units, and an $800 one-time bonus for all other state employees.

There was another amazing development associated with this session. For the first time TDCJ Correctional Officers were the focus of a pay raise to the exclusion of all other state employees. It is apparent that Correctional Officers found their collective voice and their way to the Capitol by the score. And, if not for your persuasive presence, what percentage of a pay raise do you think the House would have volunteered?

Lastly, when you see AFSCME/CEC 7 Executive Director Brian Olsen and TDCJ Executive Director Brad Livingston you just might want to express your appreciation to these guys; the results were positive. And we, as an organization, are already preparing for the 82nd Legislative Session in January 2011. We all have the same goal in wanting the 13% that was left on the table.

Upcoming Events

AFSCME/CEC7 Convention

October, 2012
Huntsville, TX

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