January 2008
TSEU/TYC Caucus leaders and activists put forward union agenda for TYC

We, the TYC Caucus of TSEU, believe in the mission of our agency to rehabilitate youth and provide them with the tools to be successful in society. The primary mission of the Texas Youth Commission is to function as a rehabilitation agency for the most troubled youthful offenders. At the same time, TYC must provide a secure placement for youth whose behavior would otherwise present a danger to people in their communities. TYC must be a unified, statewide resource for local authorities in cases where local resources cannot provide adequate or appropriate services to specific youth who have entered the law enforcement system. TYC must provide a safe, focused, and supportive environment that gives these youth the best possible opportunities to return to their communities while meeting the public safety needs of those communities. In order to achieve this, TYC must be able to provide a range of programs that integrates community and family support into the process and is suited for a variety of troubled offenders with an assortment of individual needs. This cannot happen without sufficient funding and resources, adequate staffing levels, a fair and consistent grievance procedure, attractive pay and employee benefits, and adequate training. Only then can TYC ensure the success of any rehabilitation program and the safety of offenders and agency employees alike.
<CLICK HERE> for full listing of TSEU goals for TYC

NOVEMBER 2007
OVERTIME PAY REINSTATED AT TYC

On Tuesday, November 27th, Texas Youth Commission Executive Director Dimitria Pope announced that employees will start being paid for their overtime hours effective immediately. Overtime pay had been suspended in October when agency officials realized they had used more than half of their annual budget for overtime in September alone. This was caused by a shortage of Juvenile Corrections Officers at TYC facilities across the state. To ensure the proper staff-to- youth ratio, agency employees have been working many hours of overtime. When the money allocated for overtime pay by the legislature proved inadequate, TYC began banking OT pay instead of giving it out immediately.

After that announcement, union members began mobilizing to get overtime pay back. TSEU President Judy Lugo wrote a letter to Pope, asking that implementation of the policy be delayed until after the holiday season. TSEU TYC Caucus leaders began circulating a petition among TYC staff, calling on legislators to find the money to fund their overtime.

But the crisis was averted with the announcement on Tuesday. Pope promised that a uniform staffing plan was being developed in order to evenly distribute OT hours among staff. Meanwhile, OT will be payed using money that had been budgeted for staff positions that are currently vacant.

MAY 2007
TSEU proposals for consideration in restructuring TYC <DETAILS>

TYC in Crisis!
Changes are being set in motion at TYC
Texas State Employees Union is leading the way to give TYC employees a voice in the future course of the agency in order to provide the best quality care for the youth in our custody.

TSEU will continue to fight for:
More and Better Trained Staff -
the key to safety for youth and staff is better ratios and more training for staff

Competitive Compensation -
TSEU won pay parity for JCO’s, now we need career ladders for other professionals, 20-year retirement (LECOSRF) and better pay at all levels to attract and retain qualified staff.

Firm, Fair Work Environment -
TYC must support good workers, correct misguided ones and get rid of the bad ones with consistency. Employees need to be able to voice concerns and know they will be listened to, and not be retaliated against.

Be a Part of the Solution - Join TSEU!