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Jail guards seek for probe
County Executive Aaron Reardon promises
a review but continues to support jail's boss.
by Scott North

http://www.heraldnet.com/stories/05/10/22/100loc_bjail001.cfm

EVERETT
First they said they have no confidence in their boss.
Now the men and women who guard inmates at the
Snohomish County Jail are questioning whether their
concerns will get a fair hearing by County Executive
Aaron Reardon.
Members of the Snohomish County Corrections Guild
urged Reardon to appoint an independent investigator
to explore what they contend is poor performance and
"dictatorial management" by county corrections chief
Steve Thompson.
It seems unlikely that the guild will get its wish.
Reardon continues to support Thompson, and complaints about him appear aimed to draw
attention to ongoing labor-contract negotiations, Deputy County Executive Mark Soine
said.
"I think they are really trying to negotiate in the press," Soine said.
The guild represents 204 county corrections officers. Earlier this month it announced
that more than 90 percent of its members voted to tell county leaders they believe
Thompson is exposing jail workers and inmates to avoidable risk.
Reardon promised a review, while at the same time saying he believes Thompson has
done a good job cutting costs and improving corrections department operations.
Thompson was director of the King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention
before taking the Snohomish County job in 2003.
When Thompson was hired here, representatives of union workers at the jail in King
County testified in his support. In Snohomish County, he has become the target of
more than 100 unfair labor practices complaints. Reardon said he suspects many of the
complaints are "frivolous."
That's evidence the executive's office needs somebody from outside to examine
complaints, Chuck Carrell, the guild's president, said Friday in a letter to Reardon.
"We do not want to see the investigation of the director conducted by any of your
advisers who have already been telling you that these allegations are 'frivolous,'†"
Carrell wrote. "We strongly believe that you should retain an outside investigator
new to the issues."
Carrell and other guild members say their concerns about jail operations have
triggered what members say are retaliatory investigations and on-the-job harassment.
The guild became the labor-bargaining unit for corrections officers 10 months ago
after officers voted to decertify their union. The guild has yet to negotiate its
first contract.
Jim Cline, the guild's Seattle attorney, said Reardon is receiving poor advice.
"I'm disappointed that the executive would brush this off as some sort of labor
political pressure when it has everything to do with how the members of the guild
view the director," Cline said.
Soine said a bargaining and mediation session is set for next week. Meanwhile, a
hearing on the labor complaints is scheduled for mid-December.
Soine said he's convinced the guild is following to the letter Cline's advice on
negotiating. He pointed to a passage on page 102 of a book Cline wrote, and sells on
his Web site, describing the rights of public safety employees in Washington.
"Many public safety labor organizations have found that a well-planned and
well-executed campaign of political and public pressure may facilitate a more
positive collective bargaining outcome," Cline wrote.
Reporter Scott North: 425-339-3431 or north@ heraldnet.com

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I intend to last long enough to put out of business all *****-suckers
and other beneficiaries of the institutionalized slavery and genocide.

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