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COs City's Abused Workers

Posted 4/16/21

To the Editor: As an attorney for COBA for nearly two decades, and the Director of Legal Affairs from 2011 to 2021, I have seen much dysfunction and turmoil in the Department of Correction's leadership. We have experienced the learning curve of eight Commissioners. Meanwhile, all three COBA administrations since the mid-1990s (the real experts in the room) were on the same page and had the same message: Safety first.

Nothing has been done in that time to address the concerns of those who work NYC's jails: Can I go home to my family as I left them today; can I even have a home life; how can I deal with dysfunctional leadership? Why can't the DOC schedule staff to avoid what the Japanese call "karoshi"—overwork death? Smart officers leave once they are called for another civil-service job, such as NYPD, or they find a healthier workplace.

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