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NEW JERSEY COPS ■ DECEMBER 2014
his members fast enough. The PBA anticipates getting as much
as it’s giving from a group that has a long history of labor action
and devotion and works the only corrections facility in the state
to be in 100 percent compliance with the New Jersey state
guidelines.
“We’re looking forward to sharing what we do and seeing
what more can be done,” Shannon continued. “After the presentation, the confidence of our members was through the roof,
and they are very excited about everything the PBA has to offer.”
A perfect fit
The Salem County Corrections Officers Association talked
about pursing PBA membership three or four years ago, but
Shannon said that “everybody was hemming and hawing over
it.” The previous executive board actually started researching
a move to the PBA, but it wasn’t until Sobkiw and Shannon took
office in February that interest picked up again. Apparently
some of the challenges facing corrections, such as prison
regionalization, also motivated Salem County Corrections to
look for an association that might aid in protecting its members’
jobs.
They decided to weigh the PBA against their then-affiliation
with the FOP and asked both organizations to come in make a
,
presentation. The FOP made the first pitch, which Shannon
described as not being particularly impressive.
Hulse, however, has built the PBA presentation over the years
on individuals and information. He tailors it to the group the
PBA is presenting to, and it covers everything from political
action to license plates.
“It’s an in-depth look at the programs and benefits of the
PBA,” he added. “We bring in a lot of folks, talk about our network of Locals and show them how it can assist their ability to
help their members do their jobs better.”
The presentation to Salem County also included a focus on
all the PBA has done to promote corrections and corrections
officers. Shannon confided that learning that the majority of
corrections facilities are in the PBA had a huge impact on his
members.
Approximately 40 members from Salem County attended the
PBA presentation, and they asked questions for nearly 40 minutes afterward.
“They weren’t afraid to ask the tough questions,” Lyons
noted. “We were all impressed with the way they were fully
engaged.”
The presentation and Q&A continued for nearly four hours,
and even though the questions ran the gamut of topics, Sobkiw
said the PBA had an answer for each and every one. Answers,
apparently, that made quite an impact, especially from O’Brien.
“That man is pretty serious,” Shannon quipped. “Obviously,
all the work they have done with corrections was a big selling
point. But to see how the communication was done with their
members, and how much quicker and clearer the information
came, was so important. We had no information coming from
the FOP
.”