Dear Governor, House Speaker, Senators and Legislative Representatives;

Bills to come!

An Act to ensure pay parity for County Sheriff’s Correction Officers and Jail Officers

My name is Barry Ferreira I am a Captain at the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office and a former member of the MCOFU Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union and current member of the NCEU National Correctional Employees Unions. I wanted to write you this letter in hopes of obtaining your support for Bills that will be refiling relative to Correctional Officer Pay Parity, that is of vital importance to me and my family, as well as the families of each and every one of my brother and sister Officers. 

The bills to be authored are in regards to pay parity and fair wages for Correction Officers working at the 14 County Sheriff’s Office’s across the State of Massachusetts. Our Officers are assigned to the arduous task of working behind the walls across Massachusetts. They perform the same duties as the counterparts at each of the other County Facilities as well as the Department of Corrections, but are paid a substantially less amount on average.

Statistically speaking the average Correction Officer will be seriously assaulted twice in their career. We have had several instances of Officers being assaulted by inmates in the past few months resulting in hospitalizations and serious injuries. Given the increasing population within our facilities of individuals with serious and often untreated mental illness, the number of assaults is sure to increase as well.

It is also important to know that the dangers associated with our work do not end at the completion of our shift. Our Officers unlike DOC Officers for the most part, live in the same communities as the inmates who are in our custody. Whether we’re out buying groceries, pumping gas, or out for dinner with our families, there is always a chance of encountering a former inmate and potentially facing a dangerous situation. Fair compensation is the only thing that offsets the stresses of this job and the dangers we face daily in and out of work.

I hope I have your support in these bills and would like to express that if these bills are successful, Correctional Officers across the State of Massachusetts will forever be thankful for the life changing, well deserved parity.

“Success isn't always about greatness. It's about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come.” – Dwayne Johnson.

Sincerely,

Barry Ferreira

115 High Hill Rd. 

Swansea, MA 02777