Cumberland County jail staff urge commissioners to address chronic understaffing and forced overtime

Multiple Cumberland County Jail employees and union leaders used the meeting’s public‑comment period to tell commissioners the jail is operating with persistent short staffing and prompted forced overtime that union members say is unsustainable.

Giovanna Peruzzi, the labor representative for the jail employees affiliated with the National Correctional Employees Union, said since the board last met the jail recorded 85 “holds,” meaning staff were kept past scheduled shifts, and eight shifts ran below minimum staffing levels. “My members are exhausted,” Peruzzi said, and she warned that understaffing increases the risk of serious injuries.

Chris DiCaprio, identified as president of a corrections employee union, told the board specialized units such as the transport unit had hundreds of unfilled shifts over the last two years; he pressed commissioners to prioritize contract talks and retention efforts. Several rank‑and‑file employees described long stretches of forced overtime, multiple double shifts per week, and the toll on family and health. “I’m just so tired of working the forced overtime,” said Chris Beal, who described signing up for multiple shifts weekly to avoid being forced into additional shifts.

Union members and deputies said the staffing shortage has drained institutional knowledge: employees who once served as firearms instructors, trainers and specialty staff said they no longer have capacity to perform those duties, leaving the jail with fewer experienced trainers and less resiliency. Several speakers tied the problem to broader labor‑market and housing pressures in the county, saying low base pay forces employees to rely on overtime to meet local housing costs.

Speakers asked commissioners to accelerate bargaining and consider pay and staffing changes that would retain workers and reduce forced overtime. The board acknowledged the comments and said personnel negotiations were ongoing; commissioners moved into an executive session later in the meeting to discuss contract negotiations with multiple unions, including corrections and communications unions.

Speakers who addressed the board during public comment included union representatives (National Correctional Employees Union and other bargaining units) and multiple long‑service jail staff; several described measurable staffing shortfalls and urged the county to act to avoid safety and retention failures.