Portal to Portal & Breaks

[Gaoler]

For those that have had portal to portal grievances that were successfully settled, how did you manage to keep management from instituting a mandatory unpaid break and extending the shift by that length and having overlap in the shifts?

Unpaid breaks wouldn't be doable here unless they upped the staffing (since when on break you are supposed to handle the duties of the float that relieved you if needed).

[BMTHack]

Originally Posted by Gaoler

For those that have had portal to portal grievances that were successfully settled, how did you manage to keep management from instituting a mandatory unpaid break and extending the shift by that length and having overlap in the shifts?

Unpaid breaks wouldn't be doable here unless they upped the staffing (since when on break you are supposed to handle the duties of the float that relieved you if needed).

I honestly never understood how they think a 30 min. unpaid lunch solves anything whatsoever. If D/W changed to 7:45 to 4:15, all that means is you have to be on post 15 mins. earlier. The portal issue never goes away with that "fix".

[Crosstimbers Okie]

Unpaid breaks as in a 30 minute uninterrupted lunch break?

Here's how you do it. It's simple. You do precisely what management says that they want you to do. You take your lunch break when it's scheduled. If you aren't relieved to take your lunch break, then you demand overtime. If they refuse to pay you the overtime, file a grievance and take it to arbitration. If some manager or inmate, or emergency, interrupts your 30 minute uninterrupted lunch break, you start your uninterrupted lunch break all over and try it again. If some cocktaster complains, you file a grievance and pursue it to arbitration.

The effective method for addressing BOP stupidity is always the same. You follow the policy/instruction to the letter, and let Nature take its course. You don't cut corners and jump through hoops to "make it work." You simply do what they say they want you to do, how they want you to do it, and watch it fall apart.

[Crosstimbers Okie]

Originally Posted by BMTHack

I honestly never understood how they think a 30 min. unpaid lunch solves anything whatsoever. If D/W changed to 7:45 to 4:15, all that means is you have to be on post 15 mins. earlier. The portal issue never goes away with that "fix".

At El Reno they fixed it for the most part by staggering the shifts.

For instance, D/W was 0745-1615 with a 30 minute uninterrupted non-paid lunch. E/W was 1545-0015 with a 30 minute uninterrupted lunch. M/W remained 0000-0800, the thought being that they didn't have to show up until 0000, and D/W should have relieved them by 0800. The BOP's weakness was coping with the 30 minute uninterrupted lunch.

[BMTHack]

Originally Posted by Crosstimbers Okie

At El Reno they fixed it for the most part by staggering the shifts.

For instance, D/W was 0745-1615 with a 30 minute uninterrupted non-paid lunch. E/W was 1545-0015 with a 30 minute uninterrupted lunch. M/W remained 0000-0800, the thought being that they didn't have to show up until 0000, and D/W should have relieved them by 0800. The BOP's weakness was coping with the 30 minute uninterrupted lunch.

But again, and we used to have the lunch breaks, it meant showing up at 0745 which meant you have to be there at 0730 to be on time and therefore not fixing the portal issue.

[Crosstimbers Okie]

It worked for us. For instance, we were required to be standing at the sallyport at 0745 waiting for the door to open. That gave us 15 minutes to relieve M/W. E/W was required to be standing at the sallyport, waiting for the door to open at 1545. That gave them 30 minutes to relieve D/W. M/W was required to be standing at the sallyport at 0000. That gave them 15 minutes to relieve E/W.

It was the 30 minute lunch break that management had problems getting done. They really hated it when SHU shut down for two hours on D/W for all of the officers to relieve each other for lunch.

I mean Hell, there were all those "wonderful Offenders" waiting for their rec, waiting to be released back to the compound!

[Gaoler]

I'm thinking of lighting a fire under my unions ass about this issue so I wanted to know more about it. So thanks!

Can anyone point me towards the full grievance/ulp/whatever of a successfully argued PtP complaint? I have no idea how to word something like this.

[LDM]

Not to hijack the thread, but are any institutions out there dealing with the issue of unofficial staff smoke breaks? That was something that always bothered me.

A little background...I'm a non-smoker and remember the days when the inmates and staff were allowed to smoke IN the units in designated smoking areas...usually one of the TV rooms or their cell.

What bothered me was those staff who would take four or five smokes breaks a day (not counting their lunch break) for 15-20 minutes. Now, if I were to take a couple of breaks a day and read the newspaper or a book I would get written up!!! I know it's a habit but I also know it's a mindset. People can deal with flying 4, 6, 12 hours or more and not being able to smoke. I have flew from Chicago to Frankfort, Germany and that's a LONG flight. No one is smoking there.

OK, now off the soapbox and back to the question.....

Are any institutions out there dealing with the issue of unofficial staff smoke breaks?

[Loki]

Originally Posted by LDM

Are any institutions out there dealing with the issue of unofficial staff smoke breaks?

We have (unofficial) smoke breaks and as a smoker I have no problems if a fellow non-smoker wants to step out for five mins and catch some air. Then again, I have noticed that the smokers on my unit don't stop for liquid breaks as much. There may be a trade off between a cup of tea/coffee and a quick smoke.

What is an offical smoke break? An unpaid lunch break?

I guess it all comes down to the individual and if they take the pi$$ or not. On a 13hr shift I will probably have 5 smokes out side of my lunch hour. If it is a busy day recieving and dispatching that drops down to zero.

[Loki]

As for the Portal to Portal thing. Work to rule is the best thing to use. All prisons run on the goodwill of the staff, remove the goodwill and watch the suits panic. I don't know if it is the same for you guys and gals but our lunch starts from the moment we leave the establishment. 1 hour from the gate, not what management like but its their rules. If you are able to leave your prison for lunch then do so! You are on duty the moment you enter the prison not when you reach your area of work!