By Cliff Pinckard
Advance Ohio Media
CHICAGO — More than 30 percent of the workers at the Cook County Jail called off Sunday during Mother’s Day, forcing the facility to go into lockdown because it was understaffed, reports say.
It’s the second year in a row the jail has had to go into lockdown on Mother’s Day because so many employees were absent, the Chicago Tribune reports.
“It’s the perfect storm of situations: It’s Mother’s Day and there is beautiful weather,” sheriff’s department spokeswoman Cara Smith tells the Tribune. “Unfortunately, it’s devastating to the people who do come to work and for the taxpayers.”
More than 200 workers called off during the first shift, which is from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Eighty-six claimed they were sick, while 120 cited the Family Medical Leave Act, a “federal law that protects an employee’s personal or family illness, family military leave and pregnancy, among other issues.”
The Tribune reports about 25 percent of the second shift called off.
The reduced staff meant only “essential movement” was allowed among the inmates, abc7chicago.com reports. Inmates could still see visitors, but programs for the inmates were canceled.
Absenteeism at the jail has been a problem in the past, the Sun-Times reports. More than 420 workers called off sick last year on Mother’s Day, and over 520 on Father’s Day and the following Monday.
Almost 640 workers called in sick in May 2015 on the day boxers Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao faced off, according to the Sun-Times.
“We continue to find ways to curb the absenteeism, but we have very few tools in the toolbox,’' Smith tells the Tribune.
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