April, 2010

In recent months, the Department has been complying with demands from City Hall to reduce its budget. In the attempt to comply with Mayor Bloomberg's edict, the Department has eliminated posts The CCA does not agree with how the cuts were made and have already begun the grievance process in an attempt to reverse their decisions on some of the Captain's posts that were cut.

In recent meetings with Chief Davis and the Supervision Wardens, your Union told them of our concerns with the reduction of staff in the facilities. We told them, in no uncertain terms, that elimination of posts in the facilities will have a serious, negative impact on the timely delivery of services to the inmate population which in turn will jeopardize the safety and security of staff and inmates alike. If any Captain has a situation where staffing has become an issue in the routine functions of your tour - such as having sufficient officers for messhall duty, escorting of inmates to services - be certain to notify your Tour Commander and also make notations in post logbooks and memo books. As you know, verbal notifications are easliy "forgotten" in the event of something going wrong.

In last November's Mayoral election, this Union reached out to the campaign of William Thompson, with the intent to consider endorsing him for Mayor. The CCA asked his campaign manger to forward us a copy of his resume along with any documents showing how Mr. Thompson supported labor in the past. We never received any of the documentation we requested. We were certain that we would not endorse Mayor Bloomberg. Our primary reason was his negative attitude toward Civil Service and the men and women who work to make our City great. His efforts to change the entire pension system - the new Tier 5 - and his infamous slogan "WE MUST DO MORE WITH LESS" has serious implications for all of us. The "more with less" idea could possibly work in an environment where danger isn't an issue. There is no way that anybody working in the toughest jail system in the country should be asked or required to put themselves in harms way merely to save a buck.

Through the hard work of our attorney, James Frankie, we are pleased to announce that the Civil Service Commission has overturned a decision made by former Commissioner Martin Horn to terminate one of our Captains. Jim's dilligent work paid off once again. The CCA cannot express enough how fortunate we are to have an attorney who is so dedicated and passionate about protecting and defending our Captains.

We have recently been informed that the Department of Investigation (DOI) will no longer notify the CCA or our attorneys that a Captain is ordered to report for questioning on any matter being investigated by them. It is imperative that if any Captain is ordered to report to DOI the CCA is IMMEDIATELY notified so we can ensure that you are provided with legal representation. Remember, NOTHING is "off the record" when speaking to any investigator.

The Department is planning to relocate inmates housed in Brooklyn House of Detention and also close the main building of NIC. I spoke directly with Chief Davis concerning these situations. He informed me that the Department is able to do this because the inmate population is down and in the case of NIC, it will allow the Department to commence with much needed renovations to the building. In temporarily closing NIC, the work can be done faster and more securely without having inmates in the building. It will also lower the costs to the City.

Obviously, this will affect our Captains who are assigned to these facilities. Your Union will do everything possible to minimize the impact on our Captains. I have Chief Davis' promise that before any transfers are considered, I will be informed and will meet with him to ensure any changes of assignments are done fairly and equitably. Also, when it comes time for the main building to reopen, Captains who were transferred out will be given the first opportunity to return.

The CCA is committed to protecting the rights and preserving the dignity of all Captains. Your Executive Board and Facility Delegates are committed to making sure that our Captains are supported and not to feel as if they are alone. As Correction Captains, we do a job that most people in the City of New York would do for all the money in the world. We are a unique group of men and women who deserve special recognition for the job we perform each and every day.