The Statewide CSC JLMC met on January 21, 2026, to address the growing health and safety challenges facing Correctional Supervising Cooks statewide. Every topic discussed from staffing to food shortages directly affects the well‑being, security, and daily working conditions of CSCs.
Increasing Threats & Assaults
- Rising incidents of staff assaults, including CSCs targeted over routine tasks.
- Growing tension and aggression in kitchens, especially tied to food shortages.
- CSCs lacking consistent training in threat recognition and de‑escalation.
- Emotional strain, stress, and fear becoming persistent concerns.
Dangerous Understaffing
- Vacancy rates up to 30% create unsafe workloads.
- CSCs covering multiple posts or working doubles without relief.
- Increased fatigue leads to slower reactions and higher mistake risk.
- Reduced oversight of IPs, heightening opportunities for conflict or manipulation.
Critical Food Shortages
- Missing staples weeks into new quarters, forcing unstable operations.
- IP frustration escalating into unsafe behavior, including trays thrown at staff.
- Inability to follow menus or maintain predictable routines increases volatility.
- Lack of emergency food reserves jeopardizes safety during lockdowns or crises.
Inadequate Training for New CSCs
- New hires receive little or no orientation before entering high‑risk environments.
- Overreliance on IPs for guidance creating unsafe dynamics.
- High turnover due to unprepared staff leaving within days or weeks.
- Lack of standardized modules on safety, correctional awareness, and supervision.
We discussed these issues together because they directly affect the safety of our CSCs. Training gaps, short staffing, rising threats, and food shortages all stack on top of each other and that makes the job more dangerous than it should ever be. Fixing these problems isn’t optional. It’s about keeping our staff safe. The JLMC is working with urgency to deliver real safety fixes that protect every CSC on every shift.
“New CSCs aren’t being trained, staff are burnt out from shortages, assaults are rising, and we can’t even rely on food being there. This isn’t just hard it’s dangerous. Our CSCs deserve better, and management needed to hear that.”
— Kevin Quaife, Correctional Supervising Cook
Call to Action: Let’s continue documenting issues, sharing success stories and advocating for essential upgrades, staffing support and operational improvements. Membership matters! Click here to activate your membership!
Meet Your CSC JLMC Team
To learn more about your CSC JLMC, led by Garth Underwood, along with Eric Murray, Francis Vierra, Kevin Quaife and Monica Munguia, please visit SEIU 1000 Unit 15.