COUNTY — Numerous representatives from a local corrections officers’ union stepped to the podium on Thursday to ask the Union County Board of County Commissioners to reconsider staff layoffs and program cuts slated to go into effect at the largely-defunct county jail.
The jail has been largely vacated since 2021, when the county opted to move its operations and incarcerated prisoners to the Essex County Correctional Facility as part of a cost-saving, five-year, shared-services agreement. Now, the Union County jail, located in Elizabeth, primarily operates as a temporary holding center for prisoners awaiting transport.
In the coming weeks, the county plans to cut an overnight program known as the midnight shift from its roster, along with the nine corrections officers who currently man the latenight desk.
According to Timothy Prol, who serves as the legal counsel for the correction workers’ union (PBA Local 199), the midnight shift allows municipal police departments and other law enforcement agencies to save time and resources by giving them the opportunity to drop off after-hours prisoners in Elizabeth rather than having to drive them out to Essex County.
“Taking officers out of the [Union County jail] is going to put a burden on every single one of these municipalities to transport and house more people. It would also mean taking officers off the streets during a critical hour to provide transportation,” Mr. Prol said, addressing the commissioner board during Thursday night’s regular meeting.
Mr. Prol went on to allege that the sheriff’s office, which oversees the jail’s personnel, threatened to cut the shift during recent contract negotiations that “boiled over” and “created an unfortunate situation.”
“We are in negotiations and are actually looking to add more corrections officers to the hub so that we can address deficiencies in the current system,” Mr. Prol said. “But instead of working with us, the county is leveraging its muscle to negatively impact PBA Local 199 members by threatening this bad-faith layoff.”
County Counsel Bruce Bergen informed Mr. Prol that the commissioners “cannot and will not negotiate in public” and criticized him for intentionally painting the county in a bad light.
“For you to stand up and make legal charges of bad faith and to accuse us of threatening the members of the union is inappropriate as an attorney, and I would suggest that you not do it,” he said.
Michael Freeman, who currently serves as the union’s vice president, asked the commissioner board to consider implementing a “gap” program that would allow the corrections officers to transition to other positions within the sheriff’s department. He estimated that the move could ultimately prove to be a cost-saving measure that could save the county upwards of $80,000.
“Right now, we know that the county is looking to bring in new sheriff’s officers. My ask here is that you take the employees that you already have, who have committed themselves to Union County and who are well aware that they may have to take a pay cut in order to gap over from the corrections department, and give them the opportunity to remain as county employees,” Mr. Freeman said, adding that the nine corrections officers could be trained to fit their new roles within the county in about 12 weeks. “The alternative of hiring new people and training them for six months is much more costly,” he stated.
According to information provided by the county, the Union County jail currently has 50 employees who are predominately tasked with preparing court documents and keeping an eye on prisoners waiting to be transported to the Essex County facility. In 2023, the county spent $6,285,971 on salaries for corrections officers and other jail personnel.
The board also voted to approve its $543.4-million budget on Thursday, which represents a tax increase of about 1.75 percent over last year’s collections.
“For the past four years, as many of you know, we have been able to maintain a consistent zero-percent increase in taxes,” said Commissioner Rebecca Williams. “However, in order to uphold our commitment to excellent services and programs, we have made the difficult decision that the 2024 budget will need to include an increase to the tax levy.”
Commissioner Williams attributed this year’s increase to inflation and rising operational costs across the board, adding that the county will maintain its AAA bond rating — the highest attainable — despite this year’s fiscal challenges.
The county intends to collect $373,722,967.17 of this year’s $543.4million budget in taxes, up from $367,295,299.43 last year.
“Union County continues to prioritize shared services to maximize resources,” Commissioner Williams said. “We have carefully considered the impact on our residents and have worked diligently to minimize it.”
