DEAR EDITOR: We must stand up for the brave men and women who risk their lives to protect ours, especially corrections officers.
Maintaining order within the walls of federal prisons is not easy. Adding to the stress of managing the safety inside a federal penitentiary, officers in the North Country come home and worry whether or not they earn enough to pay bills.
Everyone across New York is dealing with an affordability crisis that puts enormous strains on taxpayers struggling to make ends meet.
This is why I want to thank Congresswoman Elise Stefanik for her proactive proposal to raise the pay for corrections officers at the federal prison in Ray Brook.
The big problem for these officers: right now their pay is tied to the cost of what is known as “locality pay,” or local cost of living adjustments.
The problem is, that rate of pay is too low to compensate for the huge cost of living increases taking place here.
Kudos to Congresswoman Stefanik for wanting to tie their rate of pay to the New York City area, which would give officers a raise they deserve and taxpayers can afford.
I thank her for supporting law enforcement.
Donald Gruneisen,
Potsdam