HomeMy WebLinkAbout08.01.2022 FW_ Letter to the Board of Supervisors (BCCOA)
From:Paulsen, Shaina
To:Hatcher, Casey; Valencia, Shyanne; Reaster, Kayla
Cc:Honea, Kory; Waugh, Melanie
Subject:FW: Letter to the Board of Supervisors (BCCOA)
Date:Monday, August 1, 2022 2:34:55 PM
Attachments:Letter to Board of Supervisors 2022 Butte County.docx
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Please see attached letter that was sent to the Board from the Butte County Correctional Officers
Association
Shaina Paulsen
Associate Clerk of The Board
Butte County Administration
25 County Center Drive, Suite 200, Oroville, CA 95965
T: 530.552.3304 | F: 530.538.7120
From: Pickett, Andy <APickett@buttecounty.net>
Sent: Monday, August 1, 2022 2:31 PM
To: Clerk of the Board <clerkoftheboard@buttecounty.net>
Subject: FW: Letter to the Board of Supervisors (BCCOA)
For Board Record
Andy
From: Waters, Sheri <SWaters@buttecounty.net>
Sent: Monday, August 1, 2022 2:20 PM
To: Connelly, Bill <BConnelly@buttecounty.net>; Teeter, Doug <DTeeter@buttecounty.net>; Ritter,
Tami <TRitter@buttecounty.net>; Lucero, Debra <DLucero@buttecounty.net>; Kimmelshue, Tod
<TKimmelshue@buttecounty.net>
Cc: Pickett, Andy <APickett@buttecounty.net>
Subject: Letter to the Board of Supervisors (BCCOA)
Good afternoon Board members,
Please see the attached letter from the Butte County Correctional Officers Association addressed to
your Board.
Kind regards,
Sheri
Sheri Waters
Director, Human Resources
3A County Center Drive Oroville, CA. 95965
530-538-7790 Fax
swaters@buttecounty.net
Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine. - A. J. D'Angelo
To: Butte County Board of Supervisors
From: BCCOA General Unit
On behalf of the BCCOA General Unit, we write this letter to ensure the Board is fully aware of the
current impacts of the staffing shortage in the correctional facility and of the continued difficulty in
recruiting and retaining correctional deputies at a level that sustains the Sheriff’s Office ability to ensure
constitutional care for the incarcerated population.
It is with great respect for the difficult decisions the Board has to make that we write this letter. We are
under no illusions that the negotiations process is easy or lacking of significant stress for all of the Board
members, but that does not change the impact we fear will be the result of this negotiation if the
correctional deputies’ sacrifices are not appropriately acknowledged and compensated. We not only
fear for the jail’s potential loss of future staff members, which is shared by many in our office, but we
also fear for the rippling effects it may cause countywide.
The Sheriff’s Office current recruitment and retention has shown to produce minimal results in the most
recent number of candidates for correctional deputy; having only two (2) candidates in the last three (3)
recruitment attempts make it to the beginning of the background process. The decreasing number of
applicants showing up for employment testing has all but eliminated the potential of filling current
vacancies. This coupled with the stringent and lengthy background process, and resignations of current
employees continue to hamper the Office’s ability to gain ground in filling these vacancies. It is no
secret that the Corrections Division has had significant difficulty in filling vacancies for several years, but
the current situation is even direr.
Unfortunately, this staffing issue compounds the problems that face our correctional staff today. Our
correctional deputies have been working mandatory overtime to fill critical posts within the facility for
multiple years running. The deputies continue to routinely work on average one mandatory 12-hour
shift per pay period, this equates to 24 extra hours a month (a loss of two (2) days off), or 288
mandatory overtime hours per year. Yet these numbers do not represent an accurate depiction of the
burden correctional staff face, as there is an equal amount of overtime worked not considered
“mandatory”, yet it is required to maintain the safe and constitutional care of the incarcerated persons
in our care.
There are also other factors to consider when evaluating the impact staffing shortages have on facility
operations. A prime example is an impact that offsite emergency transports have on staff workload
increases and facility safety. Our facility requires a minimal staffing level to operate safely, which we
describe by posting assignments, up to Post 21. Due to an enormous increase in offsite emergency
medical needs for our incarcerated population, the correctional deputies are routinely working in critical
staffing shortages even when prior overtime needs have been met on the schedule. This is because we
staff to a Post 21 to meet minimal staffing levels, but almost daily we have an emergency transport to
the local hospital, which takes one, if not more, staff members offsite for hospital security and public
safety. This causes a decrease in our onsite staffing available to respond to and care for the incarcerated
population. The current staffing vacancies force the jail to manage the employee schedule to minimal
staffing so as to not increasingly burden the limited staff available, as well as not deplete the Office’s
overtime budget. Any emergency transport creates an immediate critical staffing level, as we do not
have a relief factor at minimum staffing. Subsequently, this increases the workload on every other
deputy in the facility, as well as, decreases the safety of the incarcerated population and facility staff.
The most significant impact is staff routinely work with two or more Posts remaining vacant due to
several factors, such as sick calls, multiple emergency hospital transports/security needs, etc.
In itself, this ongoing overtime becomes tiresome, but when you add in the stress of working in a
correctional environment it becomes overwhelming, which leads to employee burnout and seeking
alternative employment. Then add on the stress of working in a congregate living environment during
two (2) years of a deadly pandemic, being forced to work in COVID-positive populations, and worrying
about unknowingly transmitting this deadly virus to a family member. Add assisting the community
during catastrophes, for example, correctional personnel have been deployed during the North
Complex, Dixie, and Camp fire catastrophes, where correctional staff transported many civilians out of
actively burning areas of Paradise, and lastly, the increasing chance of staff fentanyl exposures and the
numerous emergency responses to fentanyl overdoses by incarcerated persons that adversely affect.
It is not an exaggeration to say this is the time for the Board to take reasonable steps to increase the
probability the current correctional staff will remain employed here at Butte County by showing the
Corrections Division their efforts and sacrifices are known, appreciated, and valued. Words alone are
not going to keep employees who are considering alternative employment pending the outcome of this
negotiation period here with Butte County. The ripple effect of losing even three (3) or four (4) more
correctional deputies at this time will be significant, as the incoming recruitments have all but dried up.
The jail cannot sustain a loss of employees to any extent without impacting other divisions within the
Sheriff’s Office. Considering the current vacancies on the patrol side, we do not see how having to utilize
patrol to fill critical staffing in the jail (at a considerable cost increase) will not have a significant effect on
response time in the community.
We sincerely do not want this letter to be considered fear-mongering or threatening in any way, as this
is not the intent. We simply want to express to the Board the atmosphere in the correctional deputy
work environment. Our hope is the Board gives proper weight to the sacrifices and value of the
correctional deputies and considers the extreme retention value of the employees that remain currently
doing the job.
Sincerely,
BCCOA