Dear COBA Members,

I am happy to report that we recently secured 2 new agreements that greatly benefit our membership.

The 1^st Agreement entails securing post coverage on the 18^th floor of NUMC. As you all know, the Department attempted to unilaterally apply a stripped-down version of the 7^th floor post coverage agreement to the 18^th floor. We immediately went to Nassau Supreme Court to obtain a Temporary Restraining Order and were successful in doing so.

The previous 7^th Floor agreement mandates that the County negotiate with COBA regarding utilizing any area outside the 7^thfloor of NUMC and the Temporary Restraining Order compelled them to do so.

This new agreement amends the previous 7^th floor agreement by allowing the County to utilize either the 7^th or 18^thfloor, but not in combination with one another. Furthermore, the agreement mandates that rooms 1832, 1833, 1834 and 1838 are specifically designated as the only rooms that would apply to the post coverage chart which remains unchanged and now applies to both the 7^th and 18^th floors. “Prior to using room 1838, the other 3 adjacent rooms shall be used first for security and line-of-sight purposes.”  

Meal reliefs, the assignment of a Corporal and back filling still apply, and all other terms of the 7^th floor agreement remain unchanged including a 2 Officer to 1 Inmate post coverage on any Outside Hospital post other than the specific rooms on the 7^th or 18^th floors of NUMC.

This agreement will be used in contract negotiations to secure greater pay or benefits for COBA Members. If we are unable to resolve this issue in collective bargaining this new agreement will become null and void at the option of the Union and the 7^th floor agreement (only) will once again be in full force and effect.

The 2^nd Agreement ensures that the Department ceases the arbitrary assignment of security platoon personnel to the Visiting Unit and if vacancies within that unit need to be filled, they must do so on overtime as required by the Ancillary Unit Overtime Agreement. Any assignments due to staff overage on a particular day would not constitute a violation of this agreement. As a result of this process the Department has made job posting assignments to the visiting unit in order to be in compliance with the agreement.

**As part of this agreement, we have also secured in writing that the Department agrees to assign a Lt. to the Transportation Unit from the active list for that assignment, thereby reestablishing a complete chain of command for that Unit.

Additionally, we secured a position for a Corporal and an additional Correction Officer in the Human Resources Unit which we have long sought to fill.

Those vacancies have been posted for and are to be filled without undue delay.

These assignments will greatly benefit our members by obtaining more staff in such an important and integral Unit such as HR.

As always, it is my honor to serve you the members to make our work place better.

Brian Doyle, COBA 3rd Vice President

Grievance Committee Chairman