Changes to DOC Article 18 Approved
Late last year, we filed a demand to bargain over changes the Department had unilaterally implemented impacting Article 18 of your collective bargaining agreement, which deals with Extended Duty Assignments.
Together with members at LCC, CCCC, and OCC, we bargained a change to the article which members have overwhelmingly voted to approve.
Article 18, which now aligns with the Department of Natural Resources, limits extended duty assignment to no more than fourteen consecutive days, with some limited exceptions.
You can read the entire modified article here.
Thank you to James Langenbach, Mark Keller, and Lynn Archibald for their excellent work in helping to negotiate this change.
DT Instructor Pursues Master Certification
Officer Robert Pridemore of the Cedar Creek Corrections Center is a Defensive Tactics Instructor for DOC.
Teaching defensive tactics is physically demanding work. Trainers need to both master and demonstrate the techniques. An arm bar takedown is an unpleasant experience. After two or three drops to the mat, the body can start to get sore.
It’s not only that, says Officer Robert Pridemore. The certification process for trainers is rigorous as well. “It can be pretty tough. I’m working with guys half my age,” he says.
Pridemore, who is pursuing his Master Instructor certification which he expects to receive this November, has already spent six weeks at the Criminal Justice Training Center in Burien so far this year and an additional two weeks training with the DOC.
Read moreCedar Creek Sergeant Juggles Multiple Responsibilities
Sergeant Frank Longoria at the Cedar Creek Corrections Center near Olympia.
“I’ve been Union my whole life,” said Sgt. Frank Longoria of the Cedar Creek Corrections Center near Olympia. “For me, it’s always been about people’s rights.”
The son of migrant farmworkers, Longoria grew up in the fields in eastern Washington. In his 20s, he marched with Cesar Chavez and supported the United Farmworkers’ boycott of Gallo wine. He worked in a variety of industries, from agriculture to construction. When his brother urged him to get a job with health coverage and retirement, he applied at the DOC.
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