Union claims unsafe working conditions at Lake County jail

Union leaders for Lake County jail employees said Thursday that staffing shortages and mandated overtime are making for unsafe working conditions at the jail.

Lake County Undersheriff Ray Rose countered by saying that current employees not showing up to work creates a bigger problem than being short-staffed.

A release sent out Thursday afternoon by Teamsters Local 700, which represents the jail's nearly 200 employees, says shortages at the jail are forcing officers into overtime - sometimes 16-hour shifts more than once a week.

"Due to the long hours, officers are battling extreme fatigue that is leading to some confusion and puts themselves and the inmates at risk of dangerous situations," said Becky Strzechowski, Teamsters Local 700 President. "They are trying to multi-task their assignments and are losing concentration, which is nothing short of a potential safety hazard."

Since April, 14 people have been hired at the facility, Rose said. During that same time, 12 people left: six retired, two were fired and four resigned, he said.

"We're down 12 people, but the real problem comes into play when you start looking at the times these corrections officers aren't coming to work," Rose said.

He cited comp time, personal time, the Family and Medical Leave Act and disciplinary time off that has contributed to the equivalent of 24 people who don't show up for work each day. Since January, employees have used 9,138 hours of sick time, he said.

"They're calling in sick with no consideration for their fellow employees," Rose said, saying that instances when employees partner sick time with vacation time is especially problematic.

Union leaders say supervisors almost daily post a vacancy notice for an upcoming shift that is filled on rotation if no one volunteers. Rather than work for 16 hours, some employees will use a sick day "for fear of collapsing while on the job," union leaders said.

"This process is exhaustive and the officers cannot withstand it anymore," Strzechowski said. "Our members are committed to their jobs and keeping each other and the inmates in a secure environment and are struggling every day."

Lake County officials said many procedures and hiring requirements have changed in recent years following the death of two inmates - one of a hunger strike and the other after an altercation with guards.

"We made a promise to the community and the county board that we were going to change how we did business and that we were going to raise the bar and the standards of what an employee at the Lake County jail should look like," Rose said.

In doing that, Lake County officials said they've changed many procedures and hiring requirements.

Eight people are currently in the background phase of hiring, Rose said.

"Contrary to what the union wants us to do, we're not going to lower the standards," Rose said. "Our focus now is how are we going to get these other 24 people who are already employees - how do we get them to start coming to work?"