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CO union launches billboard campaign against executive order limiting bargaining rights

The AFGE’s Council of Prison Locals urges lawmakers to reject EO 14251, which they say strips workplace protections and threatens officer safety

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AFGE

WASHINGTON — The union representing more than 33,000 federal correctional officers has launched a nationwide billboard campaign urging lawmakers to oppose an executive order that strips collective bargaining rights from federal employees.

The Council of Prison Locals, part of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), is calling on Congress to reject President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14251. The order affects employees at agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP).

According to the union, the order removes key workplace protections and reduces employee input on staffing, safety and working conditions. The billboards name 10 members of Congress and carries the message: “Stop attacking law enforcement. Reject Executive Order 14251.”

Among those listed are Sen. Shelley Moore Capito and Rep. Riley Moore, both of West Virginia.

“We stand firm on the demands that the members of Congress who campaigned on their love and support for law enforcement prove this through action,” said Council president Brandy Moore White. “Reject EO 14251, and oppose any bill that removes or reduces any benefit rightfully earned by those brave men and women of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.”

Moore White said many lawmakers targeted in the campaign have previously worked closely with the union and expressed support for BOP officers, but have since supported legislation the union views as harmful to correctional staff.

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“It’s been disappointing how many members of Congress who have worked with us for years have turned their backs on us,” she said.

In an interview with WBOY, Moore White said the campaign aims to protect officer benefits and draw attention to ongoing staffing challenges across the federal prison system.

Federal correctional officers, many of whom are military veterans, are among the lowest-paid law enforcement personnel in the federal system. The union said facilities continue to rely on mandatory overtime and augmentation, where non-custody staff are reassigned to correctional posts to maintain operations.

“Our law enforcement staff have been forced to work mandatory overtime or be augmented at levels never seen before,” Moore White said. “All while there seems to be no further acknowledgement of the dangers this poses to staff, inmates and communities alike.”

The Council is asking lawmakers to reject the executive order and oppose any budget measures that cut pay, benefits or bargaining rights for federal correctional officers.

As of publication, none of the 10 lawmakers named in the Council of Prison Locals’ billboard campaign have publicly responded to the union’s call to reject Executive Order 14251.