BY Linda Sutter – March 8, 2017 –
In a confidential draft for proposed budget for the year 2017-2018, the President of California Correctional Peace Officer Association (CCPOA), Chuck Alexander, emphasized the draft budget was not to be copied or shared until ratified by the State Board of Directors who are the following people:
Chuck Alexander President of CCPOA $133,348.43 benefits included
Kurt Stoetzl Vice President CCPOA $136,075.90 Benefits included
Chuck Helton V.P Rank and File CCPOA $ could not locate
Darryl Lee Rank and file Youth Div. $could not locate
Keith Bennett Supervisory V.P $156,094.99 Benefits included
Jim Martin State Treasurer $119,976.23 Benefits included
Discrepancy #1, Page 10 pertaining to Working Union Members:
Katrina L. Salazar, is the CPA and Controller for the CCPOA. Her figures don’t add up. Let’s go over them and point out the discrepancies:
REVENUES:
DUES: $90.70/month times 12 months = $1,088.40. Multiply that 28,250 members and that equals $30,747,300. Add dues from retirees at $3/month x 12 months = $36/year times 11,500 members – $414,000. Add 30,747,300 plus $414,000 and that equals $31,161,300. The difference from $31,152,300 is $9,000. WHY?
Are the State Board of Directors the foxes minding the hen house that spends an estimated $31,152,300 (or $31,161,300) per year not including the $966,000 that CCPOA appears to be pocketing and showing absolutely no accounting for. How did we manage to come up with a $966,000 discrepancy? Look over discrepancy number 2.
Discrepancy #2, the difference of $966,000
Retirees don’t pay $3 per month. They pay $10 per month. Let’s do the math: $10/per month times 12 months equals $120. $120 times 11,500 retirees = $1,380,000. Subtract $1,380,000 from $414,000 and that equals $966,000.
Is there any accounting for that money????? A message was left to go over the budget on Katrina Salazar’s voice mail this morning about 9 am to please call Crescent City Times and there was no call back.
The CCPOA is planning to spend $2,796,750 on Political Action Committees (PAC). The calculation for that is 28,250 times 12 months times $8.25/month.
This Year’s Convention is well noted on the proposed Budget for 2017-2018
Travel Tickets for Executive Committee members, listed above include Chapter Presidents and their spouses (90) total. Committee members and staff. Formula is 117 persons times $500.00 equals 58,500.00.
Per Diem ($64.00) for Chapter Presidents (43) Committee members and staff, an average stay of 4 nights which is 4 days of per diem, counting half day on either end for travel. This amounts to $256.00 times 62 people for grand total of $15,872.00.
Per Diem for Delegates ($150.00 Per Person) There are 44 Chapters times 9 Delegates which equals to 396 times 150.00 for a grand total of $59,400.00.
Sleeping Rooms ($130.00 a night including taxes) Based on everyone outlined in “per diem” above, 70 will stay an average of 4 nights (280 times 130.00 equals $36, 400.00. 396 delegates will stay 3 nights (1,188 times $130.00) equals $154,440.00.
Total Price for sleeping rooms $190,840.00.
For a total of 466 people who CCPOA will pay for at this August 1st– 3rd convention this year it will cost the following for services:
Board Meeting Luncheon $8,000 this is for 466 people $17.00 per plate for lunch
Board Meeting Coffee Break $5,000 for 466 equals $10.72 per cup coffee
Convention Coffee Service for two days $50,000 for 466 people $107.29 per person for two days of coffee.
Convention Evening Program$130,000 for 466 people equals $279.00 per person for entertainment.
Convention Banquet Event is $130,000 for 466 people $279.00 per person.
Total Catering Cost $363,000 for 466 people.
Meeting Enhancements $200,000 for 466 people $429.00 per person
There are production cost, printing cost, exhibit hall setup, security, and registration name badges.
Total cost for this year’s convention $1,140,000.
The money getting spent on this lavish convention could have been better spent on reducing the price of medical benefits for Correctional staff and families as well as retirees. There appears to be no integrity whatsoever that CCPOA harbors and mandates paying Union Dues but refuses to allow the members to know what their hard earned dollars are going for. In fact, the CCPOA is spending more on the convention then on the Legal Defense of Correctional Officers. The proposed legal defense fund comes in at $949,200.
The Piggy Back insurance has gone up between $26.00 to $32.00 per month. Medical Insurance for retirees shot up from $125.00 to $175.00 per month.
Taking money from Correctional Officers and their families and spending it on lavish meals and parties is not what the Officers who put their lives on the line signed up for.
Just last Saturday while attending a retired Chapter meeting which lasted only 3.5 hours CCPOA took every member, approximately 30 people, and bought dinner at the Malabar located off Del Paso Road in Sacramento including drinks. Again off the backs of CCPOA members. This is a common practice that occurs monthly at chapter meetings.
My observation of the Retired Chapter meeting was there was no public comment. Members voices were not being heard. There’s no communication among the Board Members and the President. There were approximately 30 people there that wanted to have public comment and it wasn’t even offered. The complaints about the Board President are that he doesn’t return telephone calls even to the Board Members and he’s not computer literate and there’s no communication among the Board Members and the President.
Officer Serrano, a retired officer from Mule Creek, remembers in the year 2005 where he was asked to sit in during Negotiations for the EOP unit said;
“We spent the first three hours looking for papers and pencils and talking about nothing in regards to what positions were needed for the EOP UNIT(enhanced outpatient unit). At noon the CCPOA took everybody to Chevy’s restaurant located on the river in Sacramento. After lunch we were told to go home and come back the next day. The next day was spent the same way, and on Friday, CCPOA ordered catering service from a Chinese restaurant. I felt embarrassed that nothing was accomplished and we wasted State time and money resource to sit around and eat without any professional commitment.”
Officer Serrano stated he has seen this throughout his entire 27 year career.
I know this happens on a regular basis, and on a larger level among all government agencies, and entities on a small or large scale. I believe that is why our country is in such enormous debt. But, it doesn’t make it right, and something must be done to stop the continued erosion.
Hello 25 years of service ccpoa filed a 12.01 mou violation which means I filed it they read it supported it ..I won at Sacramento administrative law judge rules hdsp at management level refused to hire staff by seniority for hospital coverage ….surprise to all then the union at head head quarters and locally met n conferred and colluded with management to continue violating the mou and 12.01…Surprisingly the union president signed the grievance and then even he renigged..his own oath to support the mou …In short the union blacklisted me at head quarters the,attorneys in hq…were all told to defer all contact to labor attorney who cussed me out for complaining that the ccpoa and state agreed colluded to this day agreed to violate 12.01…failure to hire officer by seniority forever …ccpia local chapterlastly signed a agreement to continue violating the mou indefinately.
The violation of union contract by union president is grounds for removal per ccpoa by laws failure to comply with mou in good faith with administrative law judge order also violation of perb…the public employees relation board is the balancer when state and union fail to comply withthere own mou..ccpoa has a yearly expenditures report ask then for it you will see many millions of dollars wine n dine funds ….
I retired in August 2018. The fraud and corruption has always been there. Just the Unit President at CFM spent a $1,000.00 of union dues for a Golf Tournament last summer. In fifteen years all I ever got was a pencil for my dues. They have there union meetings once a month for members. They use to order pizza. Now with the new president, they go out with there Committee family members for dinner and include pretty much themselves that serve on the board. I was told over and over again to keep my mouth shut or would be pressured to quit my career. Speaking out was treated with being outcast. If you really want to look into the corruption. Just look into the previous CCPOA President before Chuck Alexander. Twelve million dollars to defend a Defamation of character law suit against him. He’s also still a paid consultant. Look into the secret trip to Canada for members. (Sac Bee)During the furloughs and the money to favorable members for their financial difficulty’s? $4,800.00 over four years of Union dues speaks for itself. What would you expect in return? Personally I received very little. Not in the click, you’re forgotten about. Fifteen years of service and never even a Thank You. I’ve read enough about Unions to know it’s all corruption but the cost to make a good wage for its members. It’s a continuous corrupt process.
Retired membership dues are not currently $3.00 per month. They are $10.00 per month.
But these same chapter presidents and board members will keep voting for chuck Alexander anyway, despite other options. They get what they deserve, in fact every ccpoa member is responsible for everything written in this brilliantly written article.