Page 1 of 2 Vermont Department of Corrections FACILITY REPORT FORM × CCCC □ RCCC □ NWSCF □ WCCC □STJCC □ WCF TO: Deputy Commissioner Touchette TYPE OF REPORT: X Incident □ DR □ Informational □ Confidential FROM: COII Flibotte Date: 06-27-2017 RE: Retaliation at CRCF REPORT: On 06-27-2017, I approached Asst supt Sprafke as a VSEA Steward to address a concern of a member. During the conversation, Sprafke expressed confusion as to why I was speaking to her rather than the member. I then used an example of six employees who were required to work overtime to inventory inmate property but the supervisor refused to sign off on their overtime slips or give them an order date. I found out about the situation through an officer who was not involved and I approached all of the officers about the issue to see if the information I received was accurate and if they wanted me to resolve the issue. All 6 officers involved expressed that they would rather forfeit the .5 hours of overtime pay rather than be named in a grievance. The officers I spoke to all expressed concerns of being retaliated against if they were to make an issue of the wage thefts. I did not inquire as to what would make them feel as if retaliation was likely if they were to file a grievance because this has been a common fear with multiple examples throughout the past year or more. I have personal experiences with feelings of being retaliated against at CRCF and know of several more. The examples, which is usually the case, are never as clear as “I’m doing this, because you did this” they typically include an officer or staff member being treated differently in a negative way and they are frequently in relation to an allegation or a negative action being taken against management or a supervisor. A personal example dates back to early – mid 2016 where I feel as if I was passed up for a promotion for 2 far less qualified staff members due to my union activity. After being notified that I was not hired, Supt Adams brought up the subject multiple times during a conversation. Initially, I thought he was talking about another position that I had applied for at barre probation and parole that I also was not hired for and then 2 times I redirected the conversation when I realized what position he was speaking about. Adams brought it up a fourth time and I finally granted him the response that he was looking for. I explained to Adams that it was a sore subject because he chose to promote two officers whose combined years of experience and their achievements and certifications within DOC, which proved Signature: Page 2 of 2 Vermont Department of Corrections FACILITY REPORT FORM leadership and professionalism did not equal half of mine alone. Adams responded with a sly grin, which seemed inappropriate due to the nature of the conversation, “I wonder why they interviewed better than you then” I immediately felt as if this conversation was meant rub in the insult and I did not continue with the conversation. This round of promotions came shortly after I had filed two big grievances that have only recently been concluded. Prior to becoming a steward and ultimately filing these grievances, Adams would frequently attempt to persuade me to promote to a COII, and on more than one occasion, he assured me that if I applied then I would get the promotion over any of the other COI’s. Other examples include COI Quinones who believes that he has been passed up for promotions multiple times due to his use of workers comp related to an incident involving horseplay by another officer, which is believed to be related to an investigation that ultimately led to that officer resigning. CO1 Sweet believes that she has been retaliated against for making allegations against a COII and Supt Adams which are documented with HR. Several second shift staff have noticed a huge increase in Corrective Action being taken against them that correspond with making allegations of a second shift supervisor using cocaine and Ritalin while running shift. Staff have reported seeing white powder around the brim of his nose and behavior consistent with the use of stimulants. When officers initially approached myself and the other stewards about the observations we reported it to management on their behalf and management (supt Sprafke and asst supt Miller at the time) advised us to have the staff report the incident personally so they were not in violation of the departments mandatory reporting policy. As the staff reported the incidents, they noticed that those specific officers began receiving frequent negative feedbacks by the supervisor (Bresnan and Bruno are 2 of the officers I know to have had this connection but I believe that there are more). In relation to this specific concern, CO1 Littlejohn was placed on RFD status only a couple days following a conversation when a police officer asked staff about the supervisors erratic behavior where Littlejohn informed the officer that Zorzi’s behavior was related to drug use. WCTL Nieves was informed that she and her husband were no longer going to be allowed to work on the same shift. Understandably, Nieves was upset about this life changing news and informed Sprafke that she needed to step out to get her emotions in check. Nieves reports that she spent a total of 9 minutes outside in the smoker’s area and then returned before the end of shift. Asst Supt Sprafke then accused her of leaving the facility early and placed her off payroll for the last 15 minutes of shift. Nieves believes that this was done because she did not want to engage in this conversation with Sprafke while she was upset. These are just some of the most widely known examples. I believe that an investigation would review more examples due to the widespread fear of retaliation within CRCF. I also believe that some examples have not been spoken about due to the same fear that is creating the issue in the first place. Signature: