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NYC JAIL GUARDS MUST PROVE THEY’RE SICK TO DOCTORS UNDER NEW CORRECTION DEPARTMENT POLICY

Correction officers calling in sick must now prove they’re under the weather to a doctor.

The new policy imposed by Correction Department Commissioner Vincent Schiraldi is the latest measure to combat the severe staffing crisis at city jails. Now, correction officers must undergo a medical exam every time they say they’re unable to fill a shift due to illness. The free doctor visits are available to correction officers at five sites run by Mount Sinai Hospital.

“All members calling out sick must make an appointment with the department’s designated provider (Mount Sinai) for the same day and no later than within 24 hours after calling out sick,” Schiraldi wrote in a memo to commanding officers. “The designated provider will indicate whether the member is fit for full duty, is fit for duty with limitation or is not fit for duty.”

The move, effective Monday, is aimed at reducing a wave of sick calls that has continued even as the city moves on from the worst days of the coronavirus pandemic. In a recent interview, Schiraldi told the Daily News that roughly 2,900 officers were either out sick on a single day last month or on medical monitoring that prevented them from working in detainee areas. Around 7,600 correction officers work for the city.

The News reported last week on an inmate’s complaints about a lack of correction officers on duty, which he detailed in a Correction Department logbook.

The new protocol is a sharp departure from a 20-year-old policy that required medical documentation only for officers who called in sick more than two days in a row.

The Correction Officers Benevolent Association immediately slammed the policy.

“The DOC’s latest punitive sick leave policy that forces our members, who are recovering from brutal inmate assaults, the physical exhaustion of working 25 hours or more daily without meals, and the long-term effects of COVID-19, to make a doctor’s appointment within 24 hours of calling out sick is consistent with the continued abuse we’ve come to expect from our commissioners,” COBA President Benny Boscio said.

Boscio added that Correction Department brass previously “harassed” officers who had doctor’s notes showing they were positive for COVID-19.

“Why doesn’t Commissioner Schiraldi take a post for 25 hours without meals or try to break up fights between warring gang members before he plays with the health and safety of our members’ lives?” he said. “This is disgraceful, and we will fight this policy vigorously.”

Boscio had asked for 30 days to review the new policy, but the Correction Department declined, a union source said.

LETTER FROM BENNY BOSCIO
President

Welcome to the official website of The Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association (COBA). COBA is the second-largest law enforcement union in the City of New York. Our members are New York City Correction Officers, also known as New York City’s Boldest, who supervise the second-largest municipal jail system in the nation. COBA is committed to advocating for safer working conditions, wage increases, and excellent benefits for all our members.

Our website was designed to provide helpful information on the latest issues impacting our members and their families. You can also find our official union publications, news clips, and learn about upcoming events.

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STATEMENT FROM COBA PRESIDENT BENNY BOSCIO ON THE FEDERAL MONITOR'S SPECIAL REPORT RELEASED ON MAY 26, 2023

“After being appointed nearly 8 yrs ago and receiving some $20 million in consulting fees by NYC taxpayers, the latest Federal Monitor’s biased and one-sided “special report” is no different than the nearly 36 reports that came before it.

If the Monitor is interested in cherry picking data in a two week period, why then does he exclude the brazen assaults on our officers committed by repeat violent offenders in that same period? Or why does he exclude the numbers of inmates whose lives have been saved thanks to Correction Officers? The reality is that the Federal Monitor and his team have strayed very far from their original mission and this new report conveniently excludes key data showing any progress that is being made to combat jail violence, which is largely the result of the dedication and hard work of our officers serving on the frontlines.

These reports now serve only to provide politically-driven talking points for the City Council and the Board of Correction so they can continue to second guess and scapegoat our members, instead of providing oversight over the monitoring team and asking them what have they really accomplished in eight years to make our jails safer? It’s time for the Monitoring team to go!’

Benny Boscio
COBA President