Retirement incentives that will cost millions planned to keep Erie County jail staff on job

Assuming the Erie County Legislature approves the deal, it would cost the county more than $12 million in retroactive pension costs and nearly $2 million annually going forward.

But county officials say the understaffing and forced overtime situation requires a more permanent solution. Aside from the pension changes, the county lowered its hiring standards by relaxing civil service exam requirements, and county officials won some concessions they said they needed to reduce future costs.

“This agreement was negotiated in good faith by all parties and is not only a strong agreement that realizes the long-held goal of a 25-year retirement plan for affected employees, but also takes into account financial realities. “This is also a prudent budget move that Erie County is facing,” said Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz.

Funding and staffing at the County Holding Center and Erie County Correctional Facility in Alden are often a topic of debate, as labor costs are high and overtime rates are rising even as the inmate population declines. It has become. But state-mandated staffing requirements and the aging jail’s inefficient layout have resulted in more forced shifts needing to be filled than people willing to be filled, said Sheriff John Garcia. the official said.

Garcia has described forced overtime as “cruel and unusual punishment,” which has resulted in more than 40 jail employees resigning since he took over as sheriff last January.

To address this, County Executive Mark Poloncarz and the County Council are investing millions of dollars in 2023 to hire 30 full-time correctional officers and jail lieutenants, 10 part-time holding center guards, Sgt. Approved to hire 6 people and 1 lieutenant. budget.

But Garcia said he expects all full-time positions to be filled by next week, but a year later, some of those positions remain vacant.

On Friday and Monday, union officials voted overwhelmingly in favor of a new agreement that would retroactively change the pension system for executives and councilors, allowing them to receive full pensions and benefits after 25 years, regardless of age. . This brings Erie County on par with the state prison pension system and most other county prison programs in New York State. That means some people hired right out of high school or college may be eligible for full retirement benefits even though they’re in their 40s.

More than 600 employees and supervisors at the county jail will be affected by the change, said Joshua Pennell, the county’s labor relations director.

“Seeing this kind of working relationship between us, the Teamsters, Sheriff Garcia, and County Executive Poloncarz renews our confidence that this county will properly protect and care for its employees. We confirmed that,” said John DiMartino, president of the Public Employees Association Local 815 Corrections. unit. “I am optimistic that this change will strengthen our recruitment and retention efforts within the county’s correctional system.Finally, we have found funding and fully supported this effort for over a decade. I would like to especially thank Mark Poloncarz for his assistance.

This retroactive change will cost the county $12.7 million and is expected to result in additional costs of $1.9 million each year going forward. But county officials said they believe other changes outlined in the new agreement should help offset future costs. Meanwhile, $12.7 million in retroactive costs will be covered by the county’s fringe benefit savings from unfilled vacancies and year-end surpluses.

“Oh my god, what a difference that would make,” Garcia said.

He says no one considers working as a prison officer a dream job. The job is often tedious and stressful, with required night, weekend, and holiday shifts.

High wages and benefits have been traditional attractions for the profession. But while other major counties in the state allow correctional officers to retire with full benefits years in advance, they have to wait 30 years or until age 62 to qualify for full pensions. It’s difficult to have to stay in that job.

This is combined with the slowness of the civil service exam process, where people have to wait more than six months for results, followed by physical agility, polygraph and psychological tests, and the growing interest in the criminal justice profession. And the recruitment system is doomed. County leaders said it would fail.

Garcia said that by changing pension requirements, many correctional officers working in New York state prisons would like to return to Western New York but are reluctant to trade their current pensions for the inferior pensions offered by Erie County. He said he expects to be able to hire certain people. .

In exchange for improved pensions, Teamsters and CSEA union members will give up two of their 15 annual sick days, Pennell said, but all unused sick leave can be carried over. . The change is expected to save hundreds of thousands of dollars, he said.

To ensure that employees do not waste pre-retirement sick time, the county will also establish a Health Retirement Account for employees, allowing them to use their unused sick time to offset post-retirement medical costs. We plan to make it possible to convert it into cash at half the price. said Pennell. The new accounts will be created within a few years of retirement to prevent employees from scheduling major surgeries or other health procedures during their last shift.

Without the ability to cash in unused sick leave upon retirement, veteran employees tend to use up the sick leave they had accumulated before leaving county employment, forcing the county to fill shifts with overtime, county officials said. said the person.

The county also wants the sheriff’s office to implement an electronic time clock system that all other county departments use to track hours worked. Human Resources Chairman Brian Bray said the system, which requires employees to swipe their badges when arriving and leaving work, should be in place at prisons by late next year.

“In many ways, paper systems are outdated,” he says.

Finally, Garcia’s policy of paying prison overtime workers double their time will end on December 1st. The union’s contract requires overtime to be paid at a rate of 1.5 minutes. But to prevent employees from leaving due to staffing shortages and forced overtime, Garcia agreed this spring to double hourly wages, which has become an expensive expense.

Separate from the agreement with the union, Erie County worked with the state Civil Service Department to eliminate the need for an in-person civil service exam that would take months to process and score.

Instead, individuals can complete an online “Training and Experience” application that awards points for different levels of educational attainment and work experience. State officials will still award points for responding to applications based on a secret formula, but the turnaround time is expected to be significantly shorter, Bray said. The initial application process for the Erie County Jail began in late September and closed Tuesday.

Those who do well on resume-type applications still have to undergo agility training, background checks, background checks and psychological tests, Garcia said, but the hurdles to even get the job are now much greater. It is said that it has become low.

Garcia noted that the last list of civil servants published in the summer after a six-month period was exhausted within months.

“People who take the exam and do well are not always the best candidates,” Garcia said. It may be someone who has been a great employee wherever he or she has been.