Why Should Parole Officers vote for PBA?

1.    You are represented by a recognized PBA local with a full Executive Board that tackles only parole issues.  I would not ask PBA 105 to handle our issues and we have been given full autonomy to take care of all parole issues, grievances, and disciplines.  Correction Officers have their own issues which would take priority over parole issues if we were all in one local.

2.    We have our own dues structure that goes into our own accounts and can be spent on whatever the membership decides to spend it on.  If you were in a local with Correction Officers you would have to rely on whether they approve of spending money on parole officer functions.  Because of this we have our own Christmas Parties, Mini-Convention Functions, Donations for the: Polar Bear Plunge, Unity Bike Tour, or Special Olympics Torch Run.  We are able to send care baskets for births, illnesses, or deaths, thus bringing about a sense of brotherhood among parole officers.  We are also able to spend this money on our own political agendas.  Try to get the Correction Officers to do all that for parole.

3.    We are in tune with the problems that face parole rather than having to try to explain it to a Correction Officer and hope he gets it right.  

4.    Over the last couple of months we have develop a close relationship with the State PBA which allows us to have the State PBA President at our meetings, taking our issues directly to the Governor and legislative committees.  Our State Delegate has just been recently appointed to the State PBA Legislative Committee.

5.    Although we did not get the split, we have been working on concessions with PBA 105 in terms of union days and no separate contract negotiations.  

After you have considered all of this I hope that you vote PBA, but most importantly you must vote.


Sincerely


Kip Astrom
President PBA 326