Correctional officers living in tents to draw attention to paycuts

BY JASON KOTOWSKI, Californian staff writer
jkotowski@bakersfield.com | Tuesday, May 18 2010 06:48 PM

Last Updated Tuesday, May 18 2010 06:48 PM

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Jason Kotowski / The Californian

Ian Pickett, corrections and community advocate at Kern Valley State Prison, stands outside a tent in a campsite he and other correctional officers have set up in response to the governor's proposed budget cuts.

The signs across from Kern Valley State Prison in Delano inform motorists they're driving by "Arnold's Labor Camp #1" and "State Worker Refugee Camp #1." If that doesn't grab a driver's attention, the variously colored tents set up a couple of hundred feet from the roadway should.

As of Tuesday, about 50 correctional officers had set up at the site, and 50 to 100 more are expected by the end of the week, said Sgt. Ian Pickett, corrections and community advocate with the California Correctional Peace Officers Association. The purpose of the camp is to demonstrate the worst-case scenario correctional officers face if they have to deal with more paycuts.

Both Pickett and his wife are correctional officers, and because of mandated furloughs they're losing about $2,000 a month, Pickett said. They couldn't keep up with house payments, and are now renting a home for themselves and their six children.

"This isn't so much a protest as it is a glimpse into the future," Pickett said of the campsite, which was set up Sunday.

The three furlough days a month that state workers must take would end June 30 under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposal, but workers would still lose 15 percent of their pay under what governor's spokeswoman Rachel Arrezola called the "5 5 5 plan." Because of the $19.1 billion budget deficit, it has been proposed that all state employees under the executive branch -- which includes the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation -- take a 5 percent paycut, contribute an extra 5 percent toward their pension and take a mandatory unpaid personal day each month, which would account for another 5 percent loss in pay, Arrezola said.

If the budget isn't passed on schedule, it's possible that all non-exempt Fair Labor Standards Act employees could be required to work for minimum wage until it does pass, Arrezola said. She said it's the governor's belief that state employees should not be exempt from making sacrifices during a tough economy.

"It's an option, but we're hopeful that we'll have an on time budget," Arrezola said.

Pickett said he and others are having trouble paying the bills, and don't want to continue to lose as much pay as they've had to do without during the furloughs. Pickett, who's been stabbed while on duty, said the paycuts are making it so that it's not worth the risks they take by working in a prison.

Sgt. Marques Jones said everyone understands the economy's bad, but if their salaries keep decreasing that's even less money they can afford to pump back into the economy. Jones and Alfred Duran, another officer at the prison, were at the campsite with Pickett on Tuesday afternoon.

Duran, who's married with two children, said he's really had to cut back on spending. HIs family doesn't take vacations, they hardly ever eat out anymore and, like Pickett, he's now renting a house instead of making payments on one.

To make matters worse, his leg was broken in late April when an inmate attacked him, Duran said. Sitting in a tent with his leg in a cast, Duran said morale plummets when news of more paycuts comes along.

"It feels like no one appreciates what we do," he said.

Lance Corcoran, chief spokesman for the California Correctional Peace Officers Association, said there weren't plans for campsites outside other prisons. Employees of North Kern State Prison, just down the street from Kern Valley, Wasco State Prison and California State Prison in Corcoran have shown up to the site outside Kern Valley State Prison, he said.