Since California made taking furloughs two days a month mandatory for state employees, some agencies have begun voicing strong opposition to a measure that is forcing them to work more, for free.
According to a claim filed against the state last week by the California Corrections Peace Officers Association, corrections officers are being forced to work for free rather than take the furloughs because of understaffing and the perilousness of prison work.
Staffing prisons that are monitored by officers 24/7 cannot afford to dismiss workers. The claim states that hundreds of officers have asked and been denied to take their furlough days since Feb. 1. Instead, they’ve had to work two shifts unpaid each month, resulting in a 9 percent cut in their monthly pay.
The union is seeking an undetermined amount in monetary relief, such as unpaid wages and damages.
Kenneth Walls, a union rep and an officer interviewed for SignOnSanDiego.com, said, “Officer safety is paramount; we can’t compromise the security and safety of the institution. We have to be there, and that’s something we as a staff understand.”
The furloughs are expected to last through mid-2010. So far, opposition to the furloughs has been struck down. In January, a claim filed by the Service Employees International Union that said it’s illegal for Governor Schwarzenegger to enforce the furloughs was rejected in a Sacramento court room.
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