First the Union and E-Board is moving in a positive way, with the new Administration Carl Danberg, & Joe Biden III. We as Coad will not be intimidated By their tactics. Meetings with Lt. Governor Carney has a positives like; Move out of State Merit Rules. Labor relations H/R Director Joe Hickey, expressed Reclassification upgrades. Contract negotiations will start at end of June. Attorney Lance Geren will represent Coad, if you have any problems that can’t be Handled in house contact me. We have to stick together to keep the DEVILS out.
Have a Safe and Happy Summer.
Stephen Martelli
President of Coad
MCI,
First I want to Congratulate Brian Lewis for being a Shop Steward Appointment, and Coad for working with V.P. Richard Callahan.
PCCC,
Congratulations to Shula Reeves to Shop Steward Appointment. Still in need of a V.P. LMC meeting went well with Warden Morgan, Staff Lt. Carter, Shula Reeves, and Tom Ridgley.
BWCI,
First, I would like to give my appreciation to V.P. Angela Endres & Shop Steward Sherry Gardley for their tireless efforts for (2) new positions and Numerous upgrades at WCI. Coad members please be patient about the Cameras.
DCC,
To Coad members some positives are happening at DCC. Sgt David Townsend is acting Temporarily V.P. Some of the Freezing is going to stop Plus overtime position may start decreasing.
DCC Maintance,
RAISING THE BAR!
The bar: a place to belly up to order food and drinks; an object made of plastic, wood, steel, or CHOCOLATE, round in appearance and cut into lengths; an imaginary height of standards or principles.
I have often heard that the Department of Corrections has lowered its standards and age requirements over the years to attract a greater number of prospective employees. While their efforts may have been successful in the short run it has become apparent that we now are in a crisis and are asking for measures to correct this downward spiral which seems to be out of control. One of the first responses from Correctional Officers when asked what their solution would be is simply to RAISE THE STANDARDS; increase our salary, to attract a more qualified employee. We want to attract a highly qualified employee, someone who desires to make Corrections a career rather than a stepping stone to other ventures in Law Enforcement, someone who is dedicated to making this Department and his tenure within its fences a place that creates an environment that fosters growth on a personal as well as a professional level.
This newly hired and well-trained individual will graduate from our Academy and make his first entrance through the gates and barbwire that we call home a minimum of 40-50 hours a week. The steel will be closed behind him and there he is, ready to do his part. He has been trained and he is ready to start a process that will become a learning experience for the rest of his life. For truly being a Correctional Officer is indeed a learning experience each and every time we step onto a tier, into a dorm or gym. Each time yard is called or there is mass movement across the compound something is learned. When a code is called you never know what to expect, but you have been trained, you know how to react. You are there to foster the learning that will turn this recruit into a well-rounded Officer.
The bar so to speak has been raised. Standards have been changed to reflect the values that the Department believes will take us into the next century. As this new recruit looks at you and me where are our standards? What kind of attitude do we bring to the job every day? How many corners are we cutting to save a few minutes here and a few minutes there? Will this new recruit see the same bar of excellence that he learned in Academy? I submit to you that for the bar to be raised we must raise it ourselves FIRST! We must demand the most of ourselves and set that example to other Officers. Complacency within our ranks needs to be replaced with a since of pride that our work is of the highest standards and reflects a thought plan that is beyond reproach. I know that starting today I will be raising the bar, and if you see it falling remind me of my commitment. As I raise the bar and others around me raise their own bar, then one by one, shift by shift, and Institution-by-Institution, the Standards within the Department will have been raised. We will have gotten what we have asked for! Are you ready to RAISE THE BAR? ( Michael Lenigan Secretary COAD)
CVOP,
Congratulations, to Angelo D’aniello for Shop Steward Appointment, and A great job being done by Bruce Baker V.P. of DCC.
WCF,
LMC meeting with myself V.P. Roger Thompkins, Tom Ridgley, Warden Young, & Staff Lt. Dorso went well. As you can see security picked up. Still Looking to fill the Shop Steward appointment for WCF.
HRYCI:
C/O's of HRYCI, you might think that your complaints and other problems are not being looked at, and that action is not being taken on them. Well as your Vice President whatever problems, complaints, etc., are being brought to my attention, I have been dealing with them with the respective management. There is ongoing complaints that we as the union are working diligently on, some of that takes time.
A union is ONLY AS STRONG AS ITS MEMBERS, this is your union, not just mine, if you are unhappy with a situation contact me by email, phone or mail and I will address it as soon as possible. Again to restate what I said above, YOU ARE THE UNION, TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST IT OR NOT ATTEND MEETINGS AND VOTE, is robbing yourself of a vote.
The union meetings are 4th Thursday of every month. There is a morning meeting at 10:00 am and an evening meeting at 6:00 pm. Our meetings are strategically held in the middle of the state to benefit ALL union members. The meeting is at the Elks Home which is on the same road as the training acadamy(McKee Rd - Dover).
Your Vice President
Charles Neal
8-4 Bookng & Receiving
Welcome to the new COAD newsletter. We hope that you will find these pages helpful as well as informational. Your input and suggestions are welcome. This SCI update is written by Peg Green, COAD Senior VP and VP for SCI. I work Maintenance M-F 1500-2300 (email: Margaret.green@state.de.us).
I am pleased to announce that we now have a complete staff of Shop Stewards here at SCI: Kevin Collins (GP7 A Shift), Janice Snead (GP7 B shift), Damon Ball (Control A shift), John Christensen (Control A shift), and Canine Charles Wood (A shift).
I hope to sit down with Warden DeLoy in the near future to discuss Labor/Management issues and would appreciate input from those of you at SCI regarding issues you would like discussed. I expect to have an updated overtime call procedure at that time and appreciate your input for that as well.
Lastly, please be aware that an incomplete incident report can be harmful. Document incidents well! If ANYONE is injured, it is crucial that you describe the injuries and how they occurred as well as accurately and detailed as you can. Do not expect medical staff or anyone else to do so. A well written report can save you trouble in the future.
Stay safe out there!
COAD is looking for volunteers. We need Judicial Panel and Board of Trustee members. For job descriptions and duties, see your institutional VP or Shop Steward or look them up at www.TruetoBlue.org . Both positions are clearly defined in the COAD Constitution. If you have any questions or would like to volunteer for one of these important positions, please feel free to contact Peg Green at Margaret.green@state.de.us .
