August 5, 2003 Thank You Mr. Smith: "Mr. Smith, I want to thank you for your speedy reply and how quickly you put my article on your website. It is too bad that more laid-off officers are not voicing their opinions also.  A few letters are not going to get the point across.  Also your site is up To Date and very informative.  Keep up the good work. God Bless." Respectfully Yours' Charles

We get no repect   Date: 8/4/03 7:56:57 AM Pacific Daylight Time From: Correction Officer Charles: To: Rsmithnew@aol.com /Guardian Chronicle.Com Dear Mr. Smith, I am writing this letter to express my concern over the recent layoffs of 315 Correction Officers.  I read the newspaper and watch the local news programs everyday to see if I can find out any information on when we are going to be called back to work.  I also frequently go to the COBA website to read the latest update on the progress of our union to get our jobs back.  The latest update on the COBRA website is dated June 18, 2003&ldots;  the topic was about Norman Seabrook’s landslide win.  I truly believe that Mr. Seabrook is a wonderful human being and terrific union President, but I would also like to see information on the website regarding the status of our jobs and when we will be hired back. I would also like to know is why the Fire Department and the Teachers Unions are the only two unions that are protesting the budget cuts with demonstrations and getting plenty of news coverage by the media.  How come our union is not fighting for us?  We have not heard anything about our reinstatement.  I recently read an article in the New York Times that stated that 1,100 additional jobs would be cut from the Department of Corrections.  What does this mean for me?  Will these jobs be lost through attrition?  If so, does this mean that the 315 laid off Corrections Officers will be hired back first?  What I do not understand is how can a City like ours, lay off Officers that are making $34,000 a year to start, when some City Council workers are getting paid a salary of $171,000 a year with many perks.  Is their job any more dangerous than ours?  Nobody in that office has gotten laid off, or anybody else in Public Office for that matter.  Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems that once again the working man, who is not even the working middle class anymore, gets hit the hardest. With all the increases in property tax, water, sales tax, train, bus and toll increases&ldots;  who has kept their jobs?  Not the laid off Correction Officers.  The Department of Corrections and The Sanitation Department was not spared from the budget cuts. As a former businessman, when things have to be cut, you start at the top and work down. I thought that you cut the fat, and not the muscle. Does it make sense to have senior officers working three out of four days a week overtime (at time and a half) when a tour  after taxes is three times more than a newer officer?  Besides factoring in the increased salary that overtime incurs, it also affects the quality of life of the Officers who are forced to work overtime.  It’s not that I do not understand and appreciate the role that seniority plays, but with the training and benefits figured in, it still seems more cost-effective to keep us onboard and not have to pay overtime to the senior officers. I really feel like we’ve been left in “limbo.”  It is not only frustrating, but also very disheartening to receive absolutely NO information on when we will be called back to work.  I worked very hard to attain my position with The Department of Corrections and I take my job very seriously.  I am a dedicated Officer who wants to get his job back.  I have been holding back on looking for another permanent job because it is my desire to go back to work for The Department of Corrections.  It would just be nice to know that my union is fighting for me to go back to work too. Signed,  A Disappointed and Confused Officer

Ralph E Smith-Publisher:  The Guardian Chronicle will continue to publish  letters from the 315 Proud Professional New York City Correction Officers with the hopes that the Leadership of both the City and State will give these men and women of Law Enforcement an opportunity to take care of their families and protect this great City!  Remember 911!, Remember Law Enforcement NEVER TURNED IT"S BACK ON NEW YORK!  DON'T TURN YOUR BACK ON THEM!