Prisons owe millions in back wages

By Alysa Phillips, assistant editor
Published on Monday, September 13, 2004 3:14 PM MST

The Arizona Department of Corrections is being forced to pay back wages to its employees for overtime hours worked between 1995 and 2000. ADOC owes more than $7 million to employees statewide.

According to a news release provided by Attorney Dain K. Calvin of Phoenix, Judge Colin Campbell of the Maricopa County Superior Court signed an order on Sept. 2 determining that ADOC owes in "excess of $7 million to more than 400 of its employees," including current and former employees of the Safford State Prison and the Fort Grant Complex. The court further ordered ADOC to take all reasonable action to seek appropriations to pay its employees.

This action came after a January hostage incident at the state prison in Lewis. Officers worked overtime hours until the situation was under control, and they did not receive reimbursement for those hours. The hostage situation lasted 15 days.

Sergeant Joe Masella, president of the Arizona Correctional Peace Officers Association, said officers were pressured to work even though they are not compensated.

"People are earning overtime; (the department) can't pay for it; (the officers) can't take their time off, and if they don't work overtime, they are getting disciplined for it," he said.

According to an Associated Press story, many officers feel they are in a Catch-22 situation. Pam Tenney, administrator of ADOC's human services bureau, said vacation time is hard to get at prisons, even if officers earn it.

"With the low staffing levels and the high turnover rate, it is really hard for them to get away and use their comp time," she said.

Masella credited the lack of overtime pay for the low morale and high turnover rate. Staff vacancy rates in state prisons are as high as 20 percent in some areas.

According to Masella, some officers have threatened to quit or have quit in order to force the agency to pay them their earned time.

During the Phoenix hearing, which started in early June, officers claimed that ADOC told them it didn't have the money to pay them for wages they earned while on call between 1995 and 2000. They also blamed ADOC for low morale and difficulty hiring qualified personnel.

The settlement agreement includes a list of more than 400 employees - many who no longer work with the department - and the amounts due to each, plus interest for wages due, in some instances.

Contact Alysa Phillips at 428-2560, ext. 248, or e-mail at alysa@eacourier.com.

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Comments

14 comment(s)

Genevieve wrote on Oct 22, 2009 7:59 PM:

" I visited this spot in 2001 and had a wonderful time, in the two weeks I was there I greatly enjoyed the spring, the people and hiking in the surrounding area. The time I spent here was the highlight of my winter adventure. I played dominoes, drank tequila and picked up pretty rocks (and soaked in the spring of course!) It sounds like some terrible things have happened since and it's a shame that it's now closed. I would have loved to have seen it again. "

Tricia Wenzl wrote on Sep 20, 2008 4:32 PM:

" Re: Eve Batchelder murder-2006. I personally knew Eve as did many of my other co-workers and we were appalled that her confessed murderer was allowed to plead to a lesser charge (obviously) to escape the death penalty. This was a pre-meditated murder and kidnapping, resulting in the death of a wonderful, gentle soul not to mention leaving her two children without their mother! Jason Martinez does not deserve to live at the expense of the taxpayers with the chance that he could be paroled! Society cannot afford to be "soft" for the fear of peer pressure. "

ciara wrote on Jul 17, 2008 9:06 PM:

" hi i would like to know what time the pool opens "

Warnar Moll Amsterdam The Netherlands wrote on Jul 14, 2008 11:20 AM:

" I agree with Rustom Kevala.
In literature there are many scientific indications that the preparation of the sacred liquid (Haoma),could not contain a Hallucinogen-Entheogen drug (cf publications of Harry Falk, Jan Houben, Frits Staal and the late Mary Boyce).
As a plant-physiologist and toxicologian, I did some study about the preparation of Parahom (as described in Avesta). From the scientic point of view it is impossible that the sacred drink is hallucinogen.
I do not understand the arguments of the Pima's Church of Cognizance.
It is as stupid as the assert: Jesus used Marihuana. "

tom wrote on Apr 19, 2008 3:15 PM:

" if having someone go through something like especially a child is not an invasion of privacy then nothing is but then thats the 9th circus for you "

F THE SYSTEM!!! wrote on Feb 14, 2008 9:15 AM:

" Who cares about ibuprofen anyways! its just a pill that peopel take for headaches and aches who cares about what the school system. If someone suffers from chronic headaches and stuff like that they should be allowed to carry it around. IT was a bad thing to distribute it around to others, but they should be able to keep it anyway. Its not like teachers are all that willing to let students out of the classroom just because of a headache!!! SMS should be sued. Strip searching a student like that should NOT BE ALLOWED!!!! "

LaVae McClellan wrote on Feb 5, 2008 1:51 PM:

" Eric and Kevin Yazzie are my brothers, they always will be. Yeah its true they had a history of fighting, but thats all u see. The Eric and Kevin i know are happy and fun loving, make everybody laugh. I miss kevin, but theres nothing we can do for him now. As for Eric they need to let my brother go already "

joe tapia wrote on Dec 9, 2007 8:05 PM:

" I have spent half of my life in this canyon along with my cusion juan luepke and I would like to know what threats to the public that our gate is causing. there is another way into the canyon then through our property. Just before you get to the cobra guest ranch on klondyke rd take the tully springs\old aravaipa town turn follow for about 4 miles there is a side road just after the second cattle guard the road turns east you have to open a few gates but there not locked. "

JOE TAPIA wrote on Dec 9, 2007 12:11 AM:

" THE ROAD THAT EVERY ONE HAS USED FOR THE LAST 20-30 YEARS, Is owned by my family. as I have been told to me by my father that the b.l.m and nature conseverency asked to use our road because their easement down by the river kept getting washed out by floods.So when norma put the gate up the b.l.m asked the conservency to redo the road by the river again conservency said no way. By,joe tapia "

Katelynn Nichols wrote on Dec 7, 2007 5:34 PM:

" Clifford Bea Fowler is My uncle ans my cousin Kelci's dad he may be a white supremeist but he still loves his daughter.But he should be held responsible for his actions. "

Stephen wrote on Nov 30, 2007 8:57 AM:

" My thoughts and prayer's go out to the late Bobby Bell's family. "

SMSmom wrote on Nov 9, 2007 12:11 PM:

" I will be notified if my child is in so much trouble that he may need to be stripped searched. "Depending on circumstances"--NO I WILL BE NOTIFIED!!! TRY ME!!! "

Keisha wrote on Oct 27, 2007 8:03 PM:

" I'm sure if these guys were a threat to society action would of been taken. I'm not condoning such behavior but Linda sounds like she's up to no good. "

linda wrote on Oct 26, 2007 11:59 AM:

" Is there any way to post the photos of these molesters "in" the schools so that the children and school staff may detect any possible molesters? After all they are the ones who would most likely see them. "

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