In an attempt to satisfy concerns over the reassignment of employees from New York correctional facilities slated for closure, the Civil Service Employees Association and the Public Employees Federation, reached an agreement with the Department of Correctional Services for corrections officers to voluntarily transfer to other facilities in the state.

The agreement comes as the state prepares to close four prisons due to declining prison populations and an overall drop in crime, according to DOCS.

The Hudson Correctional Facility in Columbia County, Camp Gabriels in Franklin County, Camp Pharsalia in Chenango County and Camp McGregor in Saratoga County are all slated for closure in 2009. Among the concerns of legislators opposed to the closings, the reassignment of employees is prevalent.

The policy, titled “Reassignment Policy for [CSEA or PEF] Employees Affected by Announced Correctional Facility Closures,” was released, in accordance with Correction Law 79-a and 79-b, which requires the Department of Correctional Services to announce its decision to close a facility at least one year ahead of time and provide a report six months before the closing to any labor unions, other employees and local governments in which a facility is located.

In addition, the law requires DOCS to develop strategies to minimize the impact of closures on employees, unions and local economies.

DOCS “wants to maintain a good relationship not only with the staff but the unions that represent them,” said Erik Kriss, DOCS spokesman.

Attached to the report released by PEF and CSEA is a form for employees to fill out in order to be put on a “special reassignment list.” Civilian employees can list eight choices of facilities they want to be transferred to.

The Department of Correctional Services will consider each employee individually and assign them to new facilities according to seniority.

The reassignments will be “title for title,” referring to the transfer of employees directly into the same position in a new facility that they occupied in their original facility.

In addition, “if a facility that is slated for closure does not close, an employee who accepted a voluntary reassignment from the closure facility will be afforded the opportunity to return to that facility and title, if staffing levels allow, in classified seniority order,” the policy states.

However, not all legislators are satisfied.

Mark Hansen, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno, R,C,I-Brunswick, said Bruno is concerned that employees may not have an appropriate amount of time to apply for transfers.

“The bottom line is, we don’t want the facilities to close,” Hansen said.

Joshua Fitzpatrick, communications director for Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco R,C,I-Schenectady, whose district includes parts of Saratoga County, said Tedisco would like to see funding for the facilities restored in the 2008-2009 Executive Budget, as requested in the Assembly minority’s amendment, A.9806-B.

Assemblyman Cliff Crouch, R-Guilford, who represents Chenango County, appreciates the efforts of PEF and CSEA to accommodate employees, however, he said, “there are a lot of issues here that unfortunately are not being addressed.”

Crouch said he is concerned about the employees who will have to sell their houses and move in order to work in a different facility, and those who have spouses who might not be in a position to move, as well.

“My fear is that the jobs that are going to be offered will be a considerable distance from where they’re living now,” he said. “You end up uprooting families.”

Crouch said the policy is an attempt by DOCS and the unions to “glaze” over the problems that the reassignments will cause for employees. He wondered if any fiscal compensation will be offered by DOCS to the employees who have to transfer.

Assemblyman Marc Molinaro, R,C,I-Tivoli, also does not support the closings and is primarily concerned with the scheduled closing of the Hudson Correctional Facility, located in Columbia County, which he represents.

Molinaro said he continues to believe former Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s administration did not “adequately” justify its decision to close the facilities.

Gov. David A. Paterson’s Deputy Press Secretary Jennifer Givner declined to give a comment on whether Paterson supports the closures.

Molinaro said this policy is “dealing with the outgrowth of the problem instead of the problem,” which is the closures themselves. He called the closures a “hasty and bad decision” that he “will continue to argue against.”

Assemblyman Tim Gordon, I-Bethlehem, also representing part of Columbia County, is appreciative of the policy’s attempt to ease the transition for facility employees, as well, but sees an ulterior motive.

He is concerned about the employees who decide to wait to see if the facilities will close before applying for a transfer.

“It does provide protections for the employees,” Gordon said, “but my greater concern is the process … could penalize members who choose to show their solidarity against the facility closure.”

In addition, he said, “it seems the process rewards those who bail out sooner,” and it “provides incentives for the employees to give up the fight.” Gordon said if the employees leave the facilities, it would provide another reason to close them.

He said the closure is “certainly disruptive to the people who have dedicated themselves to what is a difficult job.”

Assemblyman Bob Reilly, D-Latham, takes a more moderate stance on the issue. He did not sign onto the Assembly minority’s bill to maintain funding in the budget to keep the facilities open, but he does not necessarily support the closings.

Reilly said the bill was the Assembly GOP’s attempt to make a “political statement.”

He said he believes each facility should be analyzed individually to see if the closing is necessary.

“Let’s make sure there is a reason to close them,” he said, “and if there is, let’s have a transition that makes sense and protects works and the local economies of where the facilities are located.”

“What I’d rather do is work to keep these facilities open and protect the workers,” Reilly said.

He is also concerned about the employees who will have to move to a new home in order to accommodate the transfer.

“You can’t transfer a worker out of his or her area and consider that reasonable, or being sensitive,” Reilly said.

However, Kriss said accommodating the workers is exactly what the policy aims to do.

He said DOCS worked with PEF and CSEA to make the transitions as easy for employees as possible.

Kriss said DOCS knows the closings will inconvenience some people, especially workers at Camp Pharsalia, which does not have any other facilities within close proximity of it. However, he said they are offering the option for employees to transfer now so the level of inconvenience can be minimized as much as possible.

Kriss said DOCS does not “want to penalize anyone who decides to stay” in the facilities until they do or don’t close, and its members are discussing providing monetary compensation to the employees who have to move.

“We’ve been very upfront with all of our employees,” by saying “this is the plan, you have the option to transfer to another facility if you want to, now,” Kriss said.

“We’re trying to do this with common sense and following the law,” Kriss said.

Darcy Wells, spokeswoman for PEF, said the union’s principal concern was maintaining job security for the employees it represents.

She said PEF “worked hard with DOCS on the policy,” and “DOCS wanted to work with the unions” and asked for their input, which the members of PEF appreciate.

In addition, CSEA Director of Communications Stephen Madarasz said he believes the policy “was something that was created over a period of time to provide a more appropriate way of trying to reassign people if locations were going to be changed.”

He said that so far the policy has “worked very well,” and “many employees are taking that option.”

Madarasz said CSEA’s position on the reassignment policy “shouldn’t be misunderstood that it means we’re in favor of the closures,” but “our objective is to ensure people have some options to preserve their employment.”