The Prison employees union is responding to overtime reports at Tamms Correctional Center.
The American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees is holding a news conference Wednesday morning in Cairo. A newspaper report says the Tamms Supermax Prison paid out almost a million dollars in overtime to its security staff in the past year.
The Belleville News-Democrat says state payroll records show the Tamms' security staff has clocked at least $884,000 in overtime over a one-year period ending November 12th. That's even as inmates in the solitary-confinement supermax unit are kept in their cells for all but one hour each day. AFSCME spokesman Anders Lindall says the Belleville News Democrat misrepresent some information in their story regarding Tamms staffing and overtime. Lindall says the Associated Press has already issued a correction and the union is asking the newspaper to do the same. Lindall says contrary to the newspaper’s claim that employees were paid $884,000 for overtime worked from November 2011 to November 2012, in truth the figure is less than half that amount—just $425,000, according to information the union obtained from the Illinois Department of Corrections. Lindall says Tamms has has approximately 234 inmates in its closed-maximum and minimum-security wings, and about 50 security staff per shift.
Regarding current staffing, Lindall says the state’s failure to hire needed employees in recent months has resulted in higher-paid correctional officers being temporarily assigned to clerical, food supervisor, supply and library positions that would pay lower wages if filled.
Tamms is one of several correctional facilities targeted for closure by Governor Pat Quinn.
