CO Appreciation Day Success in Virginia

More than 125 COs from Virginia state prisons gathered in February for Corrections Officers Appreciation Day — to let legislators and the public know that they no longer will be a "back burner" issue for either group. The event was sponsored by the Virginia Alliance of State Employees (VASE/AFSCME)- the state's first successful union for corrections officers.

"The corrections branch of the law enforcement family is always the last one to be recognized," said Corrections Sgt. Leonard Piercy, vice president of AFSCME Local 3832, the union at the Nottoway Correctional Facility. "It was a good showing to alert our representatives in Richmond that we're tired of being put on the back burners and are going to stand up for ourselves and be recognized."

During the visit, the COs were officially recognized in the House of Delegates and in the Senate.

In a meeting with Gov. George Allen, the COs said that they understood the reason for quick pay raises for new hires, to encourage them to stay in state service, but they told him that the more senior officers also need pay increases.

"Their being there, if nothing else, began dialogue in the General Assembly regarding the fact that COs do not receive enough pay for the danger that they are put in, in working with some of the most violent people every day," said Delegate Riley Ingram. "Their life is in danger as much as, if not more than, the police officers on the street."

A CO from Mecklenburg Correctional Center summed it up: "For the first time in my 17 years with corrections, I felt like COs finally received recognition from the legislators," said Charles Willis, president of AFSCME Local 3843.