I am proud to be a part of the Indiana Department of Corrections. It is an important part of our Justice System. As Correctional Professionals we serve this great state with great commitments and honor. Our duties we carry out are to ensure safety, providing a secure environment, and accountability. We preform our duties without reserve we are a few against many. We submit our mind and bodies to the hostile nature of criminal environment. This job impacts our families, our friendships, and our personal demeanor. A lot of us do not seek out proper counselling or practice positive coping mechanisms because we can't afford it. Our friends and most importantly our families have to see us struggle silently and sometimes with tremendous personal cost with the burdens of our great duty.



IDOC has now increased wages from $14.16 to $16.00 per hour. This is a very positive step to helping corrections gain valued numbers to keep each of us safer.



IDOC needs to partner with their veteran staff to adjust wages in a manner that is mutually beneficial to the Department and the well being of the Veterans. Veteran staff who have weathered many storms and stood firm to their duty during this staffing crisis.

Veteran correctional officers are getting a $1.00 raise and if their wages do not meet $16.00 after the increase they will be increased to $16.00. This means veteran staff of 3 years will be paid pennies more than new staff. However, all veteran staff have been impacted by this. The effects of uneven wages has devastated moral in the workplace. Instead of concentrating on building up staff we are tearing each other apart.



Supervisors.



Sergeants will receive a $.50 per hour increase. The minimum starting hourly rate will increase from $14.59 to 16.48. Sergeants, are being put in a position where they have to risk sacrificing their career by giving up their promotions. If a new employee being paid $16.00 an hour on day one gets a promotion to sergeant he/she would get a 15% raise resulting in a minimum wage of $18.40 cents with no experience. This is just $0.17 shy of what the minimum Lieutenant pay is. Veteran sergeants will be making 2 dollars less per hour than a new employee no experience and same promotion. This does not even take into count years of experience.



Lieutenants will receive a $.25 per hour increase. The minimum starting hourly rate will increase from $16.44 to $18.57 per hour. If your hourly rate is below $18.57 per hour following the $.25 increase, your salary will be increased to the new $18.57 per hour minimum. Again Veteran staff are being put in a hard spot. If a new employee day one was promoted to sergeant and then immediately promoted to lieutenant a minimum wage of $21.16 is what they would be paid. This again does not include any years experience.



Captains will receive a $.25 per hour increase. The minimum starting hourly rate will increase from $17.39 to $19.65 per hour. If your hourly rate is below $19.65 per hour following the $.25 increase, your salary will be increased to the new $19.65 per hour minimum. Again Veteran staff are being put in a hard spot. If a new employee day one was promoted to sergeant, promoted to lieutenant, and then promoted to captain a minimum wage of $24.33 is what they would be paid This again does not include any years experience.



After all is said and done all veteran staff wages need to be reevaluated. With this petition for veteran staff wages I hope Idoc adjust veteran staff wages to the minimum below stated for veteran staff;

Officers, $16.00 per hour plus $.25 per year experience or top wage met.

Sergeants, $18.40 per hour plus $.25 per year experience or top wage met.

Lieutenants, $21.16 per hour plus $.25 per year experience or top wage met.

Captain $24.33 per hour plus $.25 per year experience or top wage met.



It should not take 20 years of service to make top wage at any job. Most officers are not even close to top wage and they have been here 15 years making less than $20.00 even after this $ 1.00 raise! We are asking for wage equality.



Please raise support for our veteran staff! Lets raise our voices together and be heard!