Oversight of Wash. county jail in contention

By Lynn Thompson
Seattle Times

SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Wash. — A contentious history of labor relations between the Snohomish County Jail administration and the union representing corrections officers underlies the sudden resignation of jail Director Steve Thompson and his deputy.

Thompson, a veteran of 30 years in King County corrections, implemented strict discipline and strong fiscal controls when he took over Snohomish County's troubled jail operations in 2003.

But the approach provoked a backlash among members of the Snohomish County Corrections Guild, which has filed hundreds of grievances and dozens of unfair-labor-practice complaints in the past several years.

In October, the county agreed to pay out more than $2 million to settle two of the guards' claims, though lawyers for the county say the issues predate Thompson's administration.

The Snohomish County Council is scheduled to vote today on a proposal to move jail operations from the county executive's oversight to the control of Sheriff John Lovick.

Councilman Mike Cooper made the proposal in September, citing greater efficiencies in a combined administration and improved labor relations.

But the lack of any cost or risk analysis, or any direct communication with jail officials about the proposal, led Thompson and his deputy, Susan Clawson, on Oct. 31 to submit their resignations effective at year's end. Thompson's concerns have been echoed by County Executive Aaron Reardon, who said Thursday that neither Lovick nor anyone on his staff "has any experience in the corrections field."

Lovick said his staff is preparing a transition plan and estimates the county could save at least $500,000 annually by reorganizing and merging services. The sheriff said he can work effectively with the guards union and reduce labor tensions.

"There's nothing we like more than a challenge," Lovick said.

Morale issues

The corrections-officers union supports the move, saying it will improve morale and their job environment. They said they work frequent, mandatory overtime because of understaffing and that turnover is high.

The Corrections Guild, which broke away from the Teamsters in late 2004 to form its own bargaining unit, recently prevailed in two challenges to working conditions.

The county reached a $1.5 million tentative settlement in October with jail guards over the lack of meal breaks during eight-hour shifts. The lawsuit was filed in 2000, before Thompson took over, and included claims dating back to 1997, said Tad Seder, assistant chief of the Snohomish County prosecutor's civil division.

The county also reached a $750,000 settlement last month that will award overtime pay to guards for the time when they are changing shifts.

Seder said that in both cases, the county was following long-standing contract language, but that the courts have expanded workplace benefits and protections.

Both the corrections officers and Thompson acknowledge that labor relations have been contentious.

Thompson said that when he took over, he required guards to show up for work on time, serve mandatory overtime and write reports documenting the use of force.

"He inherited a department with a chronic absentee rate and a history of picking and choosing when they served overtime," said King County Corrections Guild attorney Jerry Karstetter Jr., a former jail guard. Karstetter said Thompson "put a halt to that. It hurt people in the pocketbook."

Thompson said that some corrections officers regularly use their sick days as they are accumulated. He said the officers' work year includes an average of 15 vacation days, 12 holidays, 12 sick days and two miscellaneous days. This leaves a total of 220 work days per year.

Currently, he said, corrections officers average 178 work days per year.

"If they are serious about reducing overtime, they should show up for work," Thompson said.

He said that if every corrections officer worked 220 days, there would be no mandatory overtime and regular overtime would be reduced by $1 million.

Thompson also said that because the jail operates 24/7 and needs full staffing to ensure safety and security, eliminating mandatory overtime would require hiring an additional 30 guards at a cost of $1.5 million.

Officers in the Corrections Guild don't dispute that many guards use their sick leave as they earn it. They say that the combination of high stress and mandatory overtime compel them to take "mental-health days."

"The amount of sick leave taken goes to the issue of people not wanting to be at work," said Rick Hecht, president of the Snohomish County Corrections Guild.

Asked for delay

The union that represents jail supervisors last week asked the County Council to table the proposal to shift to the Sheriff's Office. Leaders of Teamsters Local 763, which represents 175 jail captains, sergeants, supervisors and support staff, said they weren't consulted about the proposal and have seen no analysis of the costs, benefits or effects on their members. The union also represents 75 support personnel in the Sheriff's Office.

"They don't have a plan; they haven't done any analysis. We don't have anything to go on whether this is good or bad for our members," said Tim Sullivan, executive director of Teamsters Local 763.

Some Snohomish County Council members also are concerned that the jail's budget of about $38 million and its 360 employees would be consolidated under the elected sheriff without any control or oversight by the executive or the council.

"If this merger were to happen, 40 percent of the county's general-fund budget would be under one man with no checks and balances by the other branches of government," said Councilman John Koster, R-Arlington.

Koster noted that the county jail was under six different criminal investigations by the Everett Police Department when Thompson took over, and its budget was chronically in the red. Under Thompson, he said, the department has been under budget every year and inmate complaints and injuries have been reduced significantly.

"The jail was in disarray. He brought order," Koster said.

Koster said the merger ultimately might be a good idea, but he added, "there's been zero analysis. We should be cautious in making changes of this magnitude."