December 1, 2009
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
From the President... 
by Mike Jimenez, CCPOA State President
"The service you do for others is the rent you pay for the time you spend on earth."
- Mohammed Ali
Service is a word that means many things. It can mean the service you receive when you order a meal at a restaurant, or it can mean that you served your country in the Armed Forces. It can even mean the opening salvo of a tennis volley or the cups, saucers, and utensils for high tea.
In the context of the quote from boxing champ Mohammed Ali, service obviously means the performance of work for the benefit of others with no expectation of personal profit. But there is also the service you provide to either a private corporate entity or agency of government for which there is an expectation of payment.
Most of us understand the differences among the many meanings of the word service. However, within the offices of California's Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, there does seem to be some confusion as to the definition of service. Someone in those Capitol offices has sold the idea that all services are to be provided without any expectation of compensation - even public service provided to the citizens of California by putting oneself in harm's way for the benefit of others, namely, working in California's correctional facilities.
So, in order to help provide some clarification and definition to the folks in the governor's administration, CCPOA (along with other employee associations) went to Superior Court in Alameda County to correct the assertion by Schwarzenegger that CCPOA members should happily provide involuntary service (work) for free.
CCPOA maintains that failing to pay our members for time worked in exchange for furlough days is a clear violation of the law. At the time of this writing, the Superior Court judge has taken the matter under submission and will eventually rule in a written opinion.
When it comes to providing service to others with no expectation of personal profit, the generosity of the men and women of the correctional profession never ceases to amaze me. Throughout the state of California, our members continue to donate both their time and their money to support worthy causes in their neighborhoods. Even now, in these very tight fiscal times, the humanitarian efforts of correctional peace officers have not diminished. In this issue of PEACEKEEPER, we focus a bit on all the things our members are doing to make life better in their communities.
Whether it's a Battle of the Badges boxing exhibition to raise funds for numerous charities, or a Letters to Santa golf tournament to raise monies for the purchase of holiday gifts for less fortunate children, our members are there and go above and beyond the call of duty.
The CCPOA State Board of Directors also budgets for year-round contributions to numerous public service charities throughout the state, such as: the Make-a-Wish Foundation, People Reaching Out, Parents of Murdered Children, and Women Escaping a Violent Environment (WEAVE).
Service to others for compensation is an everyday expectation of both employers and the workforce. It is a thread of free enterprise and the foundation of the American dream. Service to others with no expectation of ever being compensated is beyond the mundane - it is noble. It is the rent that is paid not only for our time spent here on earth but, moreover, for eternity.
Please take a moment to pray for the safety of those who place themselves in harm's way for the benefit of their fellow man over this holiday season. Whether it is our soldiers in foreign lands or our members within the battlefields of California's prisons, their service protects our freedoms and safety at the risk of their own lives - and that, too, is noble.
Happy holidays to all of our members, staff and friends. May the many blessings of the season create lasting memories for you and your family. And may every man and woman serving in the world's ongoing conflicts and every correctional peace officer working a shift on a tier or on the mean streets of parole return home safe to their loved ones.
Take care and God bless.
