Unions
The Unions section focuses on the role of labor unions in advocating for correctional staff rights, working conditions, and benefits. This directory provides articles and resources on union activities, negotiations, and the impact of unions on correctional facility operations. Understanding unions’ influence is crucial for staff and administrators in navigating workplace issues and improving labor relations. For more on workforce management, explore our section on Corrections1 Career Resources.
A new committee to review HALT Act changes and 12-hour shifts until normal operations resume are key components of the state’s proposal
Corrections officers have been pushing for reforms to the HALT Act, saying restrictions on solitary confinement put staff at risk
Fewer than 10 corrections officers have been terminated so far, but thousands are at risk of losing health benefits for not returning to work
“It’s important to fight for workers at the same time we’re fighting for all vulnerable populations,” an official said
“The reality is that it’s a completely and absolute mess; it’s in shambles. The administration is not doing everything they need to and should do,” a union rep said
An email alleges there have been multiple cases of COVID at the Okaloosa County Jail and that the county hasn’t been following CDC guidelines
The proposed legislation comes after nearly 900 COs appealed the DOC’s “chronic absence” designation
The department sent out a memo announcing more employees would have to get fit-tested as part of the prisons’ COVID-19 protocols
“I feel like they don’t look at us as humans. We’re just a badge number, a shield number. We’re disposable. There’s no empathy at all,” one CO said
There have been 889 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 108 active cases, in the prison system
Staffers who have potentially been exposed may be permitted to continue working if they display no symptoms
The Florida Department of Corrections is moving forward with the switch from 12-hour to 8.5-hour shifts at 17 prisons
The group’s proposed budget would allocate $60 million of that money from the sheriff’s office toward housing
More than 35 vehicles belonging to COs have been vandalized, including busted windshields, windows, headlights and body damage
Since April, the union has been calling for substantial increases in COVID-19 testing, PPE, prevention plans and hazard pay for staff
Nearly a month later, Michael Powers is recovering and back at work advocating for safety measures
The federal Bureau of Prisons recently chose FCI Gilmer and FCI Hazelton as quarantine sites for out-of-state inmates
“Now it’s Connecticut’s turn to protect us,” Collin Provost, a state prison corrections officer and union president, said
The ACLU urged a judge to release vulnerable inmates at FCC Oakdale to home confinement, calling the facility a tinderbox “ready to explode”
“We can’t incarcerate our way out of this pandemic, but governors, sheriffs, prosecutors, and the president have the power, and responsibility, to save lives,” an ACLU official said
COs and union leaders are demanding PPE, hazard pay, sick leave and temporary suspension of transfers and admittance of non-security or non-medical personnel
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart has repeatedly denied allegations that conditions at the facility are unsanitary or inadequate
NYSCOPBA president Michael Powers called on the governor to make “employee safety a priority” and allow “all staff members the ability to use basic PPE”
FCI Ray Brook doesn’t have the ability to test staff or inmates and lacks the necessary PPE to deal with a potential outbreak
Several officers filed complaints about forced overtime, unsafe working conditions, and double- and quadruple-podding
The decision by Gov. Mike Parson’s administration to stop withholding dues from bimonthly paychecks has slowed worker contributions to a trickle
The move has left the Missouri Correctional Officers Association with a funding shortfall as it continues to negotiate a contract for 5,000-plus guards and sergeants
The contract, which includes eight of the city’s uniformed unions, guarantees members a roughly 8% pay increase across the life of the deal
“The dangerously low staffing levels at all of our correctional facilities mean that incidents like this one will continue to escalate in severity,” the union leader said
There are nearly 40 CO vacancies and the medical department is staffed at about 69 percent at the prison
A previous request for 150 new officers had an estimated cost of over $10 million
A state board will be called in to settle the conflict
Prosecutors say Norman Seabrook accepted a kickback of $60,000 in exchange for having the NYC Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association invest in a hedge fund
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