PADUCAH, Ky. (AP) - A group of current and retired corrections officers are planning to lobby state lawmakers during the current legislative session for a pay raise.
The Paducah Sun (https://bit.ly/19LoTHz) reports officers from the Kentucky State Penitentiary in Eddyville and the Western Kentucky Correctional Complex in Fredonia met last week to discuss the campaign, which will include letters and phone calls.
Larry Bland, who is president of the Lake Barkley Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police, said the effort is necessary to retain staff and ensure the workforce is highly trained and competent.
He says Kentucky ranks 49th in the nation in median hourly wages for correctional officers.
Lt. Garyth Thompson at the Kentucky State Penitentiary said few employees at the institution have more than five years of experience.
“We are battling inexperience with experienced convicts: who do you think will win? In any use of force situation, the better trained the staff members, the better the outcome will be,” he said.
Thompson said a knowledgeable, experienced staff ensures a rapport with prisoners and ensures good training for new hires.
He said correctional officers are currently training new hires within a month of finishing probationary period.
“My life is worth more than the money I’m getting paid,” he said. “We have to start this fight somewhere, and you can’t win a fight if you don’t throw any punches.”
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics report, the state prison system almost lost 25 percent of its workforce last year and nearly one-third of its workforce was new hires.
The western Kentucky group is asking for $50 to $75 additional pay per month for every two years a corrections officer has been employed.
“Law officers should be thinking about making this a career instead of worrying about feeding their family and covering their insurance payments,” Bland said.
Gov. Steve Beshear’s latest budget proposal recommends another round of painful state spending cuts, including for his own office.
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Information from: The Paducah Sun, https://www.paducahsun.com
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