* From a press release issued on Mother’s Day by the Cook County Sheriff…
Over 200 officers, 32% of those assigned to work the 7-3 shift at the Cook County Jail, have called in sick or FMLA, and not reported to work. 86 officers calls in sick and another 120 invoked the Family Medical Leave Act.
Despite this record number of call offs, the visitation schedule has not been affected. The jail has been placed on a lockdown with only essential movement, including medical and mental health, taking place.
The extraordinary number of call offs puts additional pressure on the men and women of the Sheriff’s office who come to work as scheduled.
* Tribune…
“It’s the perfect storm of situations: It’s Mother’s Day and there is beautiful weather,’’ Smith said. “Unfortunately, it’s devastating to the people who do come to work and for the taxpayers.’’
Additionally, Smith said that as of about 3 p.m. Sunday, about 25 percent of staff for the second shift of the day also had called in sick. […]
Similar incidents have occurred in the past, including in January 2016 and on May 8, 2016, Mother’s Day, when about 20 percent of workers called in. […]
A representative of the union that represents the staffers was not immediately available.
* Sun-Times…
Last year on Mother’s Day, 420 officers called in sick. About a month later, more than 520 officers called in sick on Father’s Day and the following Monday.
In May 2015, almost 640 correctional officers called in sick for shifts the same day that boxers Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao faced off.
* Washington Post…
That lockdown [last year on Mother’s Day] cost the [county] $75,000 in overtime expenses to cover the employees who did show up for their shifts, the Tribune reported at the time. […]
The mass absences tend to “track suspiciously” with bad weather, holidays and major sporting events, read a Tribune editorial from last year.
In May 2015, more than 600 jail employees called out of work during a weekend that featured two major sporting events: the Kentucky Derby and the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao boxing match, as local media reported. On Super Bowl weekend the same year, nearly 900 bailed on their shifts, according to the Tribune.
The situation has gotten so bad that the Cook County Jail came up with a name for it: “Super Bowl Fever.”
Sheesh.
- VanillaMan - Monday, May 15, 17 @ 11:55 am:
There’s a way around this, if it keeps up.
We look pretty bad when it does.
- Keyser Soze - Monday, May 15, 17 @ 11:56 am:
The administrator’s response should be such that it doesn’t happen again.
- Texas Red - Monday, May 15, 17 @ 12:01 pm:
JANUS V. AFSCME can’t get to the SCOTUS too soon.
- Dr. M - Monday, May 15, 17 @ 12:02 pm:
Make these days paid holidays and offer time and a half to those who volunteer to work them. It’s not rocket science. Or let people choose one or the other to have off - this is what medical residents do with on call shifts during NYE and Christmas - you cover one or the other holiday.
- Ron Burgundy - Monday, May 15, 17 @ 12:04 pm:
Memo to jail employees — you signed up for a job at facilities that are open 24/7/365. You are expected to report to your job accordingly.
Memo to Sheriff Dart — This is a bad, bad look for you. Do something.
- Cable Line Beer Gardener - Monday, May 15, 17 @ 12:12 pm:
How do the employees use FMLA for one day? I thought FMLA had to be applied for, approved of and the employee had to use consecutive days (3 minimum). I don’t know of other agencies that allow an employee to pick and choose FMLA days at will.
- NoGifts - Monday, May 15, 17 @ 12:16 pm:
Nobody I know “celebrates” Mothers’ Day or Fathers’ Day by taking a day off work. How about Grandparents’ Day? Or Secretary’s day? St. Patrick’s Day? There are some calendar holidays that we don’t really treat as holidays. This situation is just plain strange to me.
- Almost the Weekend - Monday, May 15, 17 @ 12:18 pm:
AFSCME can’t do anything right. Keep digging deeper, they are probably closer to China by now.
- So.... - Monday, May 15, 17 @ 12:18 pm:
==How do the employees use FMLA for one day? I thought FMLA had to be applied for, approved of and the employee had to use consecutive days (3 minimum). I don’t know of other agencies that allow an employee to pick and choose FMLA days at will.==
“Intermittent FMLA leave.” If you have successfully claimed it (and many public employees have) you can take unannounced days off whenever you like.
- Henry Francis - Monday, May 15, 17 @ 12:18 pm:
I would think the union would want to clean this up. Makes them look bad. And punishes their brothers and sisters who actually do show up to do their jobs (and have to do others as well as a result).
- @misterjayem - Monday, May 15, 17 @ 12:29 pm:
Bad apples, rite?
– MrJM
- Chicagonk - Monday, May 15, 17 @ 12:29 pm:
My company moved to one bank of PTO days to be used for both sick days and vacation days, so there is no more need to fake being sick if you need a day off and do not want to use a vacation day.
- Illinois great state - Monday, May 15, 17 @ 12:30 pm:
Illinois just amended its sick leave law to prohibit any discrimination against anyone who uses sick time! Thanks!
- Honeybear - Monday, May 15, 17 @ 12:34 pm:
Now I don’t know their contract but I tgink that in the supplemental for ours they have “proof status”. Basically if you get sick you have to prove it with a Doctors note. Obviously management has not controlled this. I imagine they have something like this in management rights. I would be surprised if they didn’t.
Just put offenders on proof status and the problem will solve itself.
And yeah the FMLA stuff is fishy. I’m call BS.
- Anonymous - Monday, May 15, 17 @ 12:45 pm:
All this disgruntlement sounds like the same talk about the budget. Folks, it’s like anything anywhere: there’s a means, a mechanism to take advantage of it. I’m calling you all out. Just like taxes, if there’s a break, your taking it no matter how obscene the concept may be. If you get sick time, people generally take it. Do they abuse it? Hell yes. But as living, breathing humans, we’ve been taking advantage of whatever we can for centuries. This isn’t Utopia. Quit acting like it. Sometimes the delicate snowflake/pound my chest with morality posts are too much.
- Flynn's mom - Monday, May 15, 17 @ 12:48 pm:
I think the guards are upset about the pizza delivery to the inmates.
- Texas Red - Monday, May 15, 17 @ 12:50 pm:
“If you get sick time, people generally take it. Do they abuse it? Hell yes.”
When Sec of State staff abuse sick leave I wait in line longer,when jail guards abuse sick leave en masse, it creates a public safety hazard. Big difference and that is what the group is commenting as such.
- Robert the 1st - Monday, May 15, 17 @ 1:34 pm:
I’m thankful I still have traditional benefit time as opposed to PTO days. But these employees have clearly demonstrated they can’t be trusted with sick days. PTO solves this.
- Sgt_Schultz - Monday, May 15, 17 @ 1:35 pm:
-Almost the Weekend
I believe they are Teamsters, not AFSCME. These are not state prison guards, they are Cook County jail guards.
- Mama - Monday, May 15, 17 @ 2:01 pm:
Sounds like DOC needs a change in management.
The real question should be: Why are the managers approving time off for that many prison guards?
- Mama - Monday, May 15, 17 @ 2:04 pm:
The manager who approves Cook County jail guards’ time off should be let go. He/ she does not appear to know how many guards are needed to safely man the jail.
- Texas Red - Monday, May 15, 17 @ 2:04 pm:
“I believe they are Teamsters, not AFSCME”
If Janus v AFSCME is decided for the petitioner , all public union folks will be impacted. The Teamsters are also a party to the lawsuit as they are a co-defendant.
- Ron Burgundy - Monday, May 15, 17 @ 2:04 pm:
It’s not DOC. These are employees of the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.
- Sgt_Schultz - Monday, May 15, 17 @ 2:12 pm:
-Texas Red
You are correct;I do not disagree. I was simply speaking to the AFSCME bashing that was unwarranted.
- New Slang - Monday, May 15, 17 @ 3:21 pm:
“Who approves this sick time?” SMH. They call in sick. Why?
BECAUSE THEY CAN.
- Slippin' Jimmy - Monday, May 15, 17 @ 3:22 pm:
Sounds like a weak/ no policy by the Sheriff. Anyone what their policy is?
- Shake - Monday, May 15, 17 @ 3:23 pm:
Lockdown At Cook County Jail? Good !Should Be 23-7!!
- Ron Burgundy - Monday, May 15, 17 @ 3:35 pm:
–Lockdown At Cook County Jail? Good !Should Be 23-7!!–
I think civil libertarians would have a problem with that, considering most of the inmates are arrestees being held pending trial and haven’t been convicted yet (of the crime they are in for anyway).
- Huh? - Monday, May 15, 17 @ 6:55 pm:
It sounds like the periodic epidemics of blue flu have struck again. I wonder how a doc can code that for an office visit reimbursement? Just how does a doc write that doctor’s note for proof of illness?
- Big Tom - Monday, May 15, 17 @ 8:14 pm:
This so called FMLA needs abolished. State worker types get to much time off. I say the ridiculous # of holidays plus 10 paid days off TOTAL should be the max.