OT pushes guards' pay past $100,000

[spindrifter]

By Dan Morain, Times Staff Writer
December 23, 2006


SACRAMENTO — Overcrowding and other strains on California's prisons have sent overtime costs soaring for guards, boosting 6,000 officers' salaries to upward of $100,000 a year, with hundreds of them earning more than lawmakers and other state officials.

Overtime costs rose 24% in the third quarter of this year over the same period last year, after having leaped 87% — to $375 million, according to the most recent figures — since the officers' current labor contract took effect five years ago. At that time, about 500 members of the California Correctional Peace Officers Assn. made six figures.

Most of the high earners are rank-and-file correctional officers, payroll records show. Others include sergeants, lieutenants, medical assistants and parole agents working for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

The biggest payout, $252,570 in the fiscal year that ended in June, went to a lieutenant. That is twice what wardens earn and twice what was then the correction chief's salary, since increased to $225,000 a year. It is also more than Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's salary as California's highest official; the governor declines the pay, which is set at $206,500 for 2007.

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http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-guards23dec23,0,7077823.story?coll=la-home-headlines

[BayCityProgressive]

1. holy shit

no wonder why the lobby for endless prisons.What do these people do that is so special that they deserve this much money!?!?!

[NMDemDist2]

2. they work lots of overtime and basically LIVE in the prison

with $$ like that, who needs a life? :sarcasm:

[originalpckelly]

3. Are you kidding me? Daily they risk their LIVES in a PRISON...

with convicted CRIMINALS! I think they deserve all the money people can pay them. I wish people in my own home state were paid that well

[Warpy]

5. They try to keep order among the worst human beings

this country has produced.

They're not all nonviolent stoners in there, you know.

[Trajan]

4. In all fairness ....

The guys in the trenches SHOULD get the greatest reward .... I have no problem with that .....

That being said: $252,570 ?? ....

Egads .... Even if a guard worked 80 hours per week, this works out to 60.71 per hour

That does seem a tad steep .... because the first 40 hours would be straight time ...

As much as I support state workers making a GOOD wage .... that does seem to be kinda extravagent ....

Then again .. that is one fucked up job ....

[HannibalBarca]

6. More power to them...

it's not a job I'd do, for any amount.