New contract for California prison guards lifts cap on saved vacation

[n2doc]

By Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times
April 19, 2011
Reporting from Sacramento— Deep in the 200-page contract that Gov. Jerry Brown recently approved for state prison guards is a provision that could generate a cash windfall to the officers when they retire.

The guards, who are among Brown's largest political benefactors, would be able to save an unlimited number of vacation days under their new deal. When they leave state service, those days could be exchanged for cash at their final pay rate, which would probably be higher than when they earned the time off.

The governor is extending this benefit only to members of the California Correctional Peace Officers Assn., a union that spent nearly $2 million to help him win election last year.

Removing the decades-old limit on accrued vacation — now 80 days for most state employees — would be a "huge liability" for taxpayers, said Nick Schroeder of the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office. Schroeder said he had not determined the cost of lifting the cap, but his analysis of the deal showed the average corrections union member has accumulated nearly 19 weeks of leave time to date. All of that time off has "a current cash value of over $600 million," he said.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-prison-guards-20110419,0,3637836.story

[liberal N proud]

1. Our company had that sort of deal in place

You could bank your vacation and get paid for it when you retire. It worked until they realized that some of the older employees had over 60 weeks of vacation stockpiled.

They froze the program and now you use or lose your vacation each year. The reason was the huge payouts required when people retired.

But I don't understand the saving vacation thing, I need the time off to recharge and there are so many places that I want to see and family that I need to visit. I need every minute of my vacation and I use it.

[n2doc]

2. The article says they get 8 weeks a year

Which to me is pretty generous. I can easily see putting away 2 weeks of that each year. Maybe 4 or 6 , if you don't have a family.

[SoCalDem]

3. I have a friend who is a prison guard and based on what he has to put up with

he EARNS every second of it.. He's counting the days until he retires. he does use his vacation time because he wants the time off more than the money later.. His life is in danger every shift he works..

[ejpoeta]

4. my husband is up to i think 3 weeks of vacation. and if he doesn't use it he loses it.

it's tricky, because he would use 1 week and save a week just in case and then end up losing it at the end of the year or at least a couple days. last year he lost 6 days. and they frown when you use it too. because there aren't enough people in the area as it is. but bob has gotten better about using it. he just took friday and yesterday off and put in the standard week for the 4th of july to go camping. i am glad he is finally using his vacation. but i would like if he could bank some of it too as a just in case time off. if someone gets sick or something. even if it is only 5 or six days for the year.

[xchrom]

5. In this world - money may be more attractive than time off.

But how does not taking the time off affect job performance?