C. Trott sharing some good information

Just wanted to give all of you a quick update on the Standardized Staffing negotiations I'm doing in Sacramento now. As with any State program, it is all screwed up. Unlike before when an Officer was a 1.74 py position we only have 1.0 and 1.4 py positions under Standardized Staffing. So of course when we met today the first question was how did you determine how many VRO/TRO/CRO etc we get. Up to this point they have refused to tell anyone what the formula is to figure all this out. It was always easy with the old system, but with the new one they lump it all together and you can't tell how they get it. Well they first showed us how they get it. They add all the 1.0 py positions and then add all the 0.4 py's (for the RDO relief) and then divide it by this ration (11.3 for unscheduled relief and 11.0 for scheduled relief). You can see this breakdown on the Standardized Staffing PAS Summary. Then you have to take the relief totals and divide them by those numbers again to get the Relief on Relief. All that added together totals the Unscheduled Relief (CRO / SRO / Bereavement / Military Leave / FMLA etc) and the scheduled relief (Vacation Relief and Training Relief). I know this is confusing and doesn't explain it real good but if I explained it in great detail it would be a 10 page email. If any of you want to know I will explain it when I come back. Anyways, showing us how they multiply and divide it was nothing more than showing us how to do a math problem. We needed to know how they got these 11.3 and 11.0 ratios. Well when we finally got them to break it down they are all jacked up. They based these ratios on an Officer working 2080 hours a year (52 weeks at 40 hours per week). Well that doesn't equal a 1.0 py post as that would mean they were funded to work every day of every week and never take time off. A 1.0 PY position actually works 1717 hours in a year (after you back out vacation time, sick time, etc). So basically what they have done is super fund sick leave and vacation relief and all the other reliefs. That is how we ended up with fewer hard posts and 11 extra coverage relief posts. When we confronted them with this information all they said was "Well wouldn't you be happy if your member got that extra vacation?" I told them hell no, I would be happier with more staff in R&R so we didn't have to pull from the yards.


To make a long story short, they are skimming off the top. They know that no one will use all the funding they have factored in (ie: no one will use as much military leave as they budgeted). They will then use this for Salary Savings. It is complete garbage. Unfortunately that will be hard to fix at the table and will most likely take Mike walking to Jerry Brown's office to show him where they are screwing us and the State Budget. Anyways, we are going to go over CCWF tomorrow to show them how they are screwed up. They swear they are not. They hated giving us that formula. They haven't even given that formula to the Personnel Assignment Lieutenants and Sergeants at each joint. They just gave them a program that calculates it all out. PSU, in Sacramento, wants total control. As for our institution....we just did a rough figure on it and our rough figures show they are screwing us out of about 17 positions (give or take a few when we use totally accurate numbers). So that is where we are right now. Tomorrow we will talk about how to roll over the PICO's and OTAP's. The State is pushing that as they are unfunded. Our position is you can't do that until we figure out the true position count at each prison. Also, people have participated in the Statewide Bid Process to avoid layoff, but when it is figure out correctly they may be safe from layoff right where they are (for example Wasco is being screwed out of 29 positions). So if 25 people there did the Statewide Bid to avoid layoff, they really didn't need to. So we are working through that.

I know this is confusing as I'm trying to explain a very intricate system in a short email, but the bottom line you can tell our members that the State is trying to screw us out of about 17 positions at Calipatria. As I said earlier, when I get back I will be glad to sit down and explain all this and teach everyone how it all works, if you are interested.

Additionally at the table we are getting ready to send alot of information to the local chapters so they can start dialogue with management. We have already done some of that at CAL. Eventually there will be local negotiations at each prison.

As for the Post and Bid, since implementation of Standardized Staffing has now been delayed until July 23, Post and Bid will now also be delayed. We will still move forward and get ready for it as it is coming, but there will be a delay until we can find out exactly how many positions they have shorted us and get those online.

Please fell free to call me or email me with any questions. Also, if there are any pressing issues at CAL let me know as I'm sitting across the table from the Assistant Secretary of Labor, Bridget Hanson.



Chris Trott
(He is the Chapter President at Calipat, Glad to see this president shares info.)