ecochick
04-10-2005, 09:11 PM
I don't know how many prisons transport the visitors via big school buses, but at Salinas Valley we were told that, due to a CO complaining to the CCPOA that the prisons were using drivers w/o commercial licenses, Sacramento said that the prisons statewide were not allowed to use their big buses. We were being transported by 1-2 vans that only hold 9 people at a time.
The drivers w/ commercial licenses are supposed to stay in that driving position for a year but our drivers always get reassigned when the regular job rotations come up. Hence, there's a lack of qualified drivers. Mind you, the state is not willing to pay for the CO's to get their commercial license. Plus, our prison won't let us drive from the visitors' parking lot near the highway up to the staff parking lot near the processing building.
At Lancaster you drive onto the grounds, walk to processing and then were bused to the visiting buildings when we were there. At Mule Creek, you park on the grounds and walk to the processing building. So, what's the big deal.
We need to write our prisons and Sacramento demanding that this be resolved. At Salinas Valley, we need to especially write the warden or AW and request/demand that we be allowed to park on the grounds. On the weekend, the one staff parking lot is never full.
The drivers w/ commercial licenses are supposed to stay in that driving position for a year but our drivers always get reassigned when the regular job rotations come up. Hence, there's a lack of qualified drivers. Mind you, the state is not willing to pay for the CO's to get their commercial license. Plus, our prison won't let us drive from the visitors' parking lot near the highway up to the staff parking lot near the processing building.
At Lancaster you drive onto the grounds, walk to processing and then were bused to the visiting buildings when we were there. At Mule Creek, you park on the grounds and walk to the processing building. So, what's the big deal.
We need to write our prisons and Sacramento demanding that this be resolved. At Salinas Valley, we need to especially write the warden or AW and request/demand that we be allowed to park on the grounds. On the weekend, the one staff parking lot is never full.