Board Members
				Darold Bussio-Proxy
				Louis Stock
				Leslie Lentz
				Ron Ellis
				Karey Wilkinson
				Sonny Carothers
				Pam Hand
				John Roberts Secretary/Treasurer
				Charles Davis
				Nancy Linear
				Dwayne Hart
				Greg Leslie - Proxy
				Kim Ferguson
				Leo Arledge
				Ed Tourville President
				R.D. Bell
				Terry Dare
				Charles Payne
				Jim Darling Vice-President
				Vacant
				Shawn Harper

Appropriations Committee Hearing
By Cynthia Gross    Wed, December 7, 2011

The Corrections Appropriations Committee hearing will be held on December 8, 2011.  I will be testifying at this hearing to request more money for Corrections Officers pay in both salaries and overtime. - Gary Gross

Committee Hearings on Pay
By Cynthia Gross    Wed, December 7, 2011

Over the past month there have been three separate committee hearings concerning state employees pay. My self, as well as others, have testified during these hearings that state employees are severely under paid.

Some of the strongest testimony surprisingly came from the Division of Personnel. Personnel verified what we have known and preached for a very long time, that Missouri state employees are grossly under paid by a minimum of 24% after benefits are factored in.

There is talk within the committee of supporting some form of performance based pay increases. I feel this is a potentially dangerous idea simply because we all know the current performance system would put the potential of your raise in the hands of your immediate supervisor. If, for some reason, that same supervisor is not rated high enough to receive a pay increase would they rate their subordinates high enough to receive one….probably not.

We feel pay increases should be based on successful employment only because we will never have a truly fair performance system that is not subject to opinion.

When communicating with legislators, please encourage them to monitor information coming out of the committee and support successful employee raises.

Gary Gross

Letter to the Governor
By Cynthia Gross    Tue, August 30, 2011

Date: August 5, 2011


To: Honorable Governor Jay Nixon
216 Capitol Building
Jefferson City, Mo. 65101

From: Gary Gross, Executive Director
Missouri Corrections Officers Association
7141 Business 50 West
Jefferson City, Mo. 65109


Dear Governor,

    As the official representative for Missouri Corrections Officers, we kindly ask that you consider a salary increase in your upcoming budget proposal for the next fiscal year, beginning in July of 2012.

    It has been several years since corrections officers have had a salary increase. We understand that the state has been facing challenging times financially. However, our staff members are being asked to do more with less on a daily basis. Since the downturn of the economy, the numbers of corrections officers have been cut statewide causing many officers to work overtime on a regular basis and yet they are not provided an opportunity to collect this overtime as additional income.

    Even during these tough financial times the turnover rate remains high. We feel this is a result of Missouri Corrections Officers being among the lowest paid in the nation. We also feel that if the economy turned around tomorrow and jobs in private industry became available, corrections would experience the highest turnover rate in recent history.

   



    Not only have Corrections Officers not seen any salary increases, but they have gone backwards in expendable income due to health insurance cost increasing nearly every year and the loss of things such as deferred compensation, which they considered income.

    Also, the recent changes in the state employee retirement system takes 4% off of the top of new employees salaries leaving them with a much smaller take home pay. We understand that they will at some point recover this money plus interest. However, that doesn’t pay their current bills.

    These are just a few of the issues that this group of state employees faces. It is with these facts in mind that we are respectfully requesting your consideration of a 4% pay increase for corrections officers in the upcoming budget.

Thank you for your consideration in this matter,




Gary D. Gross,
Executive Director
Missouri Corrections Officers Association

Legislative Session Summary
By Cynthia Gross    Wed, June 29, 2011

June 9, 2011

End of Session Report

Missouri Corrections Officers Association



A legislative session filled with extremes ranging from legislation proposing sizable raises for our members to a bill that could have been devastating to our Association ended quietly not long ago (May 13th) with relatively few bills passed and sent to the governor.

On the threatening side was SB202 sponsored by Sen. Jason Crowell. It would have eliminated the state’s system of payroll deduction for a number of organizations including associations such as ours. It gained some momentum after it passed the senate on April 7th. However in the house, MOCOA led the successful effort to amend the bill and exempt voluntary state employee association. SB202 died on the final day of the session when Sen. Crowell refused to negotiate on the house-amended bill.

A similar bill originating in the house, HB466, died on the house “third reading” calendar. MOCOA opposed this bill as well.

Legislation providing specific grade pay raises for corrections officers from new hires through the position of Corrections Supervisor II was introduced in the form of HB371. The bill would tie corrections officers pay to that of the Missouri Highway Patrol. The bill was heard in the House Corrections Committee on March 30th. While the bill provoked a number of favorable comments from committee members, the consensus was that meaningful pay raises could not become a reality until the state’s economy improves and adequate funding is available. MOCOA conceived and promoted the introduction of HB371.

HB548, which was sponsored by Rep. Caleb Jones, would allow certain state employees, including corrections officers, the option of retaining up to 80 compensatory hours at any time of the year. This bill passed the house on April 5th as a “consent” bill. The senate did not take it up for consideration. On May 10th, language from HB548 was amended to the refined version of SB202 and sent to the senate. The senate refused to consider that proposal as well.

Another bill we favored, HB305, offered a state employee retirement incentive of up to $20,000 for those who are eligible for “80 and out” between Dec. 31, 2010 and Dec. 1, 2011. This bill passed the house on April 14th by a vote of 144 to 11. However a vote on an emergency clause thought to be necessary was stalled by unanswered questions and the bill could not move further. It had been estimated that approval of the bill could save the state more than $11 million a year for several years.

HB445, which would have prohibited smoking or the use of tobacco at a state corrections facility, died in committee. It was heard in the House Corrections Committee on Feb. 23rd. Language from HB445 was amended to other legislation however that was unsuccessful as well.

HB 282 would require that all state employees hired after July 1, 2010 be automatically enrolled in the state’s deferred compensation plan. Those state employees could “opt out” at any time after their enrollment. Language from this bill was included in a senate committee substitute with some additional retirement provisions. It passed the house and senate and was sent to the governor on May 10th. The governor has not yet signed the bill.

HB308 would have prohibited an inmate from making a false report against a department of corrections employee for the purpose of implicating an employee in a crime. This bill was referred to the House Corrections Committee but no hearing was held.



Harry Hill
MOCOA Lobbyist