DES MOINES - AFSCME Iowa Council 61 President Danny Homan issued the following statement regarding the State Auditor's report that there are some judicial districts of correctional services that are awarding excessive vacation and sick leave to managers:
"At a time when Iowa's entire correctional system, including our prisons and community based corrections, is severely understaffed, it is highly disturbing to find out about these excessive vacation and sick leave benefits for management employees in some of the judicial district departments of correctional services.
"I want to make it clear that these excessive vacation and sick leave policies benefited only management employees; the employees covered under the AFSCME contract did not receive excessive leave.
"The Auditor found that Districts 1, 5, and 6 had awarded excessive vacation leave to management employees; Districts 1 and 6 had awarded excessive sick leave to management employees; and that Districts 7 and 8 had classified some management employees as field staff, which resulted in excessive vacation leave.
"If they have not already done so, management and the District Boards of Directors should immediately take action to correct their policies and bring them into compliance with state law regarding vacation and sick leave payouts. All excessive vacation and sick leave should be immediately removed from the management employees' vacation and sick leave accounts.
"This situation illustrates the need for complete and full oversight of community based corrections. Clearly, multiple District Directors and management employees have taken advantage of the current weak levels of oversight to inappropriately benefit themselves. Public safety, not padding management employees' benefits, must be the top priority of our community based corrections system. Our Union is ready and eager to assist District Boards of Directors, the Iowa Department of Corrections, and legislators as they examine ways to strengthen oversight of community based corrections."
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