There's a shortage of employees at Oneida County Jail and as a result, mandatory overtime is crushing the COs who are left, according to the union representing employees there.

Luis Roman, Local 1249 Union President, says the COs both new and experienced are forced to work 12 to 16 hour shifts and he's afraid it's driving away the veteran employees who offer important experience to the jail staff.

Currently, there are more than 50 vacant positions at the jail and along with Bail Reform, the pressure on the current workforce is reaching dangerous levels, according to Roman.

Roman appeared on WIBX's Keeler Show on Monday and talked about a potential solution that will keep the experienced workforce on the job during these difficult times. Roman says incentives need to be offered to the workers who are eligible, or near retirement eligibility. Currently there are 37 employees eligible to retire in the next 2 years, and 14 of them are currently eligible. Roman says losing these employees would leave the jail in an unsafe position. He said that Bail Reform has changed the jail population and has created a more dangerous group mod inmates.

During the interview, Sheriff Rob Maciol was scheduled to call in about flooding at Oneida Lake and agreed to bet conferenced with Roman to discuss the situation. Currently, the COs are not in contract negotiations with the county. Contract negotiations are scheduled for the end of the year.

Roman expressed a lack of confidence that Local 1249 would be able to come to an agreement with the county based on the fact that the union representing the County road patrol are currently at an impasse.

Sheriff Maciol said he agrees the current situation for COs is difficult, but he said a lack of new recruits and budget limits out ion his control have made for a very difficult situation.

Keeler Producer Andrew Derminio stressed the fact that Maciol thought he was calling in about high water levels at Oneida Lake. He agreed to come on with Roman after host Bill Keeler made the request to join the conversation. Derminio said Keeler thought Maciol intended to call in to join the conversation with Roman.

Listen to the complete interview here.

25 Simple Additions to Make Your Back Yard More Like a Resort Vacation

The pandemic and shutdown of 2020 had people stuck in their homes and nobody was traveling. Many people took the extra time to turn their own back yards into a summer oasis, even though in the northeast, summer weather only lasts 3 months.

Here are some fairly easy ways to make your back yard feel like you're on vacation.

25 True Crime Locations: What Do They Look Like Today?

Below, find out where 25 of the most infamous crimes in history took place — and what the locations are used for today. (If they've been left standing.)

50 Most Popular Chain Restaurants in America

YouGov investigated the most popular dining brands in the country, and Stacker compiled the list to give readers context on the findings. Read on to look through America's vast and divergent variety of restaurants—maybe you'll even find a favorite or two.

LOOK: What major laws were passed the year you were born?

Data for this list was acquired from trusted online sources and news outlets. Read on to discover what major law was passed the year you were born and learn its name, the vote count (where relevant), and its impact and significance.

LOOK: Here is the richest town in each state

Just saying the names of these towns immediately conjures up images of grand mansions, luxury cars, and ritzy restaurants. Read on to see which town in your home state took the title of the richest location and which place had the highest median income in the country. Who knows—your hometown might even be on this list.

LOOK: Here Are 30 Foods That Are Poisonous to Dogs

To prepare yourself for a potential incident, always keep your vet's phone number handy, along with an after-hours clinic you can call in an emergency. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center also has a hotline you can call at (888) 426-4435 for advice.

Even with all of these resources, however, the best cure for food poisoning is preventing it in the first place. To give you an idea of what human foods can be dangerous, Stacker has put together a slideshow of 30 common foods to avoid. Take a look to see if there are any that surprise you.

LOOK: Here are the 50 best beach towns in America

Every beach town has its share of pluses and minuses, which got us thinking about what makes a beach town the best one to live in. To find out, Stacker consulted data from WalletHub, released June 17, 2020, that compares U.S. beach towns. Ratings are based on six categories: affordability, weather, safety, economy, education and health, and quality of life. The cities ranged in population from 10,000 to 150,000, but they had to have at least one local beach listed on TripAdvisor. Read the full methodology here. From those rankings, we selected the top 50. Readers who live in California and Florida will be unsurprised to learn that many of towns featured here are in one of those two states.

Keep reading to see if your favorite beach town made the cut.

More From WIBX 950