Federal Bureau of Prisons terminates labor contract with 35,000 employees nationwide
Andrew Gillies
LOMPOC, Calif. (KEYT) – On Thursday of last week, the Director of the Bureau of Prisons announced the immediate termination of the federal agency’s collective bargaining agreement with its employees.
The cancellation of the American Federation of Government Employees Council of Prison Locals contract will immediately impact around 35,000 employees at federal correctional facilities nationwide.
“For too long, the Federal Bureau of Prisons has been ranked among the worst places to work in the federal government,” explained Director of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons William K. Marshall III in his announcement Thursday. “[W]hen a union becomes an obstacle to progress instead of a partner in it, it’s time for change. And today, thanks to President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pamela Bondi, we’re making that change. Today, I’m announcing the termination of our contract with CPL-33 [Council of Prison Locals C-33] effective immediately.”
Director Marshall shared in Thursday’s announcement that the purpose of ending the nearly 50 years of union representation was to improve the lives of employees and efficiency at the federal agency.
“Don’t be fooled, this is not about efficiency or accountability — this is about silencing our voice,” argued Council of Prison Locals Brandy Moore White the Monday after the announcement. “We will not stand by while the rights of our members are stripped away. We are prepared to take every legal and legislative action necessary to protect our contract and the employees who put their lives on the line every day.”
Thursday’s announcement specified that Bureau of Prisons employees still had their jobs and some rights protected by current civil service laws and that their pay and benefits would still be guaranteed by federal law.
“In the coming days, we will spell out exactly how we move forward from here but the bottom line is CPL-33 didn’t give you your protections, the law did,” added Director Marshall. “[S]afeguards aren’t going anywhere. This isn’t about taking things away, it’s about giving you more.”
According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, there are about 155,096 inmates incarcerated at federal correctional facilities nationwide with 12,543 inmates in federal installations in California.
“Correctional officers face some of the harshest and most dangerous conditions in American workplaces,” noted Jon Zumkehr, President of American Federation of Government Employees Local 4070. “[C]orrectional officers are seven times more likely to die by suicide than the general population, and their suicide rate exceeds even that of police officers. Instead of supporting us, the Bureau [of Prisons] is stripping away the rights that keep us safe.”
Altogether, the federal correctional complexes in Lompoc, which includes Lompoc FCI, Lompoc II FCI-Camp, Lompoc FCI-Camp N, and Lompoc II FCI, houses 3,078 inmates, second only to Victorville’s federal correctional facility complex.
In response to the decision, Congressman Salud Carbajal, whose Congressional District includes Federal Correctional Complex Lompoc, stated, “Stripping correctional officers of their collective bargaining rights will only undermine morale, recruitment, and retention at a time when staff stability and safety are critical…I stand firmly with the correctional workers at FCC Lompoc and will push for the restoration of their bargaining rights.”
The Federal Bureau of Prisons shared that it does not comment on pending litigation nor ongoing legal proceedings in response to Your News Channel’s inquiries about the cancellation.
“President Trump is leading an unprecedented assault on the collective bargaining rights of more than a million American citizens who have devoted their careers to public service. His administration has terminated collective bargaining agreements covering the doctors and nurses who care for our veterans, the USDA inspectors who ensure our food is safe to eat, the FEMA specialists who are first on the ground when a natural disaster strikes, the journalists who provide independent reporting to citizens living in oppressive nations, and now the law enforcement officers and staff who oversee federal inmates,” stated American Federation of Government Employees President Everett Kelley in a press release Monday. “Stripping federal correctional officers and other BOP employees of their union contract will make it that much harder for them to highlight and address the staffing shortages, workplace dangers, and other issues that they face on a daily basis.”