Problems with the working conditions at the Monroe County Correctional Facility surfaced again during the Monroe County commissioners meeting on Wednesday.

Donald Kubik, a correctional officer at the prison and chief steward for Teamster Local 773, asked if the results of the Archer study would affect the pay scales.

Earlier in the meeting, the commissioners approved accepting a proposal from the Archer Group to review the existing county compensation plan and make recommendations for improvements. Archer will be paid $10,620 for their work.

The commissioners said that changes to the pay scale would not affect union positions, and that they are trying to reduce the number of classifications. Currently, there are 54 different classifications for employees county wide.

“It’s an overabundance of classifications. I get it,” Kubik said. “Is it going to adjust pay scales for some of the jobs potentially?”

Kubik has been an advocate for hiring bonuses and retention bonuses in order to hire more prison employees and get prison employees to stay.

Commissioner Chairwoman Sharon Laverdure said, “We don’t know yet. It possibly could. We have to wait to see until the study is done.”

“Is there anything you guys are considering in your positions on the prison board with the actual prison staffing numbers,” Kubik asked.

The prison is barely reaching 100 active working officers, even with the new class of officers, he said.

Kubik said, “If we look at the numbers from 2½ years ago until now, we’re not getting any headway. The overturn is outrageous.”

Kubik said the two main reasons are:

1. The officers are not treated right from the administration standpoint, and they have filed numerous complaints about it.

2. The overtime rule requires officers to work 17-hour-days three days in a row, which the commissioners have known about for about two years.

“It’s still the same thing. People can’t continue to work under these conditions,” he said. “People in this jail are beaten down. We’re tired.”

Kubik asked again if there has been any discussion about hiring and retention bonuses, and suggested it could be paid out over a 12-month or 24-month period, or some other incentive to get more employees.

The commissioners said the Human Resource Department is going to look into some other options.

“Everything is being looked at on a county-wide scale versus directly looking at this prison,” Kubik said. “The amount of money that is being spent on overtime and coming out of taxpayer dollars and the funds from the county is outrageous.”

Kubik thinks if bonuses had been on the table a couple of years ago, they would have enough staff, the officers wouldn’t have to put in so much overtime, and it would have saved the county money.

“These are jobs that you don’t have the ability to say, ‘Hey, we’ll slow our services down. Unfortunately it’s going to take a little longer for you to get your meal or something,’” Kubik said.

“They’re essential personnel. They need to be there. There is no other options. The same as the medical facilities when they were short staffed, they were paying bonuses and raising wages to get people because they are essential services. Jail is an essential service that doesn’t have the option to slow down like everybody else, and I’m asking for more to be done.”