A game plan for defeating regionalization
We have successfully defeated a proposal to combine the Union County and Hudson County jails
using a game plan that could be a blueprint for battling prison regionalization attempts. The Union
County jail is now staying open, and we are back at
the bargaining table with Union County Corrections
Local 199 negotiating a new contract.
KEN
We refused to allow the county to assume the
BURKERT regionalization had any merit. We listened intently to
the officers we work with, and then Local 199 President Joe Krech and I put a game plan together with a lobbyist we
hired, George Devanney. The plan was successful because of the
good relationships our executive board and our members have
established.
NJ State PBA President Colligan came to a Freeholder’s meeting
to address the rumors of the jail closing and explained the issues to
them. Also, the NJ State PBA Corrections Committee, headed by
Chairman Rich Brown, was a big part of the success of the strategy.
He was my confidant, helping me behind the scenes, and he was
ready to bring every corrections officer in the country to come to the
meetings if called upon.
The bottom line is that the county found out the cost savings
weren’t what the Freeholders believed it was going to be. They didn’t
factor in many issues, such as the cost of transporting the inmates
to Hudson County – and back if they had to return for trial or other
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matters – or the liability if a Union County inmate housed at anther
facility was hurt.
Hudson County didn’t realize they would have to hire our senior
officers and lay off their guys. Under the shared services agreement,
our senior officers would be first to be hired over their junior officers.
That was part of our strategy to let them know that what they
thought they could do would make no sense.
What happened in Union County can inspire other corrections
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