Public employees as scapegoats

By Thomas Bradfield

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I have never had my head bashed in with a mailbox or trash can. I have never been punched so hard that it required several surgeries to repair the damage. My eyes have never been gouged out and I have never been stabbed. I have not received any life-altering, permanent physical disabilities.

However, many others cannot say the same. They have been punched, kicked and scratched. Had cups of urine and handfuls of feces thrown at them. They have been spit on by individuals who have been diagnosed with HIV and hepatitis and some have had to throw boots away because they were soaked with blood and feces.

Daily, men and women in Iowa walk into a workplace and wonder to themselves if any among them would not be going home that night. But the danger tends to follow them even after they leave. Many have wound up divorced, or been consumed by addictions due to the stresses of the job. They always walk with a guarded eye, for many have been threatened.

Their stories seldom make front-page headlines, for it seems the old credo, “what happens on the mile, stays on the mile” is alive and well.

These workers are the officers of the Iowa Department of Corrections. They perform a public service many cannot. They place their lives in jeopardy every day to ensure that the citizens of Iowa are safe from those individuals who have been convicted of crimes.

These convicted offenders range from good men and women who have made a simple mistake to murdering psychopaths who enjoy inflicting pain and will kill again if they get the opportunity.

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) work hard in positions of trust and danger.

They perform duties many people would like to ignore or think not even exists. They patrol your streets and are the ones who respond when you call for help. They help keep the electricity running. They staff emergency rooms and hospitals, They are the secretaries and the warehouse workers who keep our society organized and supplied. They clean off your streets after snow storms, they keep the blood flowing and the floors clean.

State employees in the past few years have always tried to vote in the best interest of the state. This past year alone, they took the unheard-of action of voting to open up negotiated contracts to accept a week of mandatory unpaid days and the temporary elimination of deferred compensation allotments due to the budget crisis. They have also endured pay and hiring freezes.

The majority of our blue-collar employees live from paycheck to paycheck, so losing an entire week of pay was painful for many. Yet, it seems state employees continue to be used as scapegoats by some, and they are the ones who are blamed for decisions that they have no control over.

A 2 percent raise in salary and affordable health care coverage would seem to be the least that can be done for the men and women who risk their lives every day. They are the workers who proudly serve the public on the front lines. Do not punish them, for they, too, are Iowa taxpayers.

We dream of Iowa and its fields of opportunities. “We are reminded of all that once was good, and could be again (‘Field of Dreams' movie).”

Thomas Bradfield is a state correctional officer from Johnson County. He wrote this on behalf of AFSCME Local 2985. Visit www.afscmeIowa.org more information. Comments: IowaKeeper@aol.com