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Pa. county jail union claims warden targeted president for emails, social media posts

Union head claims social media posts complaining about ACJ staffing levels drew “undue reprimands” from jail leadership, resulting in a 3-day suspension order

By Mick Stinelli
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

PITTSBURGH, Pa. — The union representing some of the employees at the Allegheny County Jail claimed in a filing that the warden retaliated against the union president for using social media and emails for union activities.

The Allegheny County Prison Employees Independent Union filed a charge of unfair practices last week with the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board against Warden Orlando Harper.

The filing claims Warden Harper singled out union president Brian Englert for emails and social media posts, which Mr. Englert says were part of official union business.

The first action Mr. Englert notes were being suspended from work for one day after seeking the purchase of unapproved uniforms for union employees.

ACPEIU workers are required to purchase uniforms from an approved supplier, the filing says, but the union was unable to obtain clothing from that vendor because of ongoing shortages. Mr. Englert looked for a secondary supplier and sought permission from the county to purchase from them, but said Warden Harper declined to permit the change despite approval from the jail’s purchasing department.

The interaction resulted in a letter from Warden Harper ordering a one-day suspension for the union president on July 21 for engaging in duties outside the scope of Mr. Englert’s job. Social media posts complaining about ACJ staffing levels also drew undue reprimands from jail leadership, Mr. Englert claims, resulting in a 3-day suspension order.

A jail spokesman declined to comment on the filing.

In a statement, the union framed the instance as one of several controversies facing Warden Harper and the ACJ at the moment, alongside recent deaths of incarcerated people and lawsuits against the correctional facility.

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