Corrections faces federal suit

By Adam Wilson | The Olympian • Published June 12, 2008

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The Washington Department of Corrections will be on the hook for millions of dollars in unpaid overtime owed to its community corrections officers if a lawsuit filed this week succeeds.

The U.S. Department of Labor filed the lawsuit after auditing the state agency's records from November 2005 to May 30 of this year.

The investigation found that the corrections officers, who track released felons and other people under court supervision, worked unpaid overtime.

Investigators also found the agency did not keep accurate records of the hours that the officers worked.

The federal agency filed a complaint in U.S. District Court.

"The total amount of back wages owed the employees has not been determined but is expected to be in the millions of dollars," said Donna Hart, director of the federal Wage and Hour Division's Seattle district office.

Officials with the state agency had expected the action, saying they have been in contact with the auditors for more than a year.

Karen Daniels, assistant secretary for community corrections, said in a statement that the state is committed to paying its officers for the time they work.

Community corrections officers, she said, "often work irregular schedules so they can make unannounced visits at the homes of people on their caseloads, get them to treatment programs, transport them to jails or prisons at night or on weekends and do other work that doesn't fit within 8-to-5 schedules. Those irregular hours make tracking working hours more difficult."

The workers are represented by the Washington Federation of State Employees, which had little to say about the federal action.

"We are not involved. We know about it and are following it, but we're not at liberty to say much," said union spokesman Tim Welch.

Adam Wilson covers state workers and politics for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-753-1688 or awilson@theolympian.com.