The AFGE Council of Prison Locals (CPL) has filed an unfair labor practice (ULP) against the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) for violating the labor-management agreement by closing seven prisons without warning or consultation with the union.
The agency on Dec. 5 notified 401 employees at seven facilities that their facilities will be closed. Slated to shutter are Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Dublin, Calif., Federal Prison Camp (FPC) Duluth, Min.; FPC Pensacola, Fla.; FPC Morgantown, W.V., FCI Eaglewood, Colo.; FCI Loretto, Pa.; and FCI Oxford, Wis.
Some employees would be reassigned to other facilities, and some would face a reduction in force (RIF).
In the ULP filed Dec. 6 with the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), the council said the agency is obligated under the law to notify and bargain with the union on these changes to working conditions and employment. It’s asking the authority to order BOP to halt the implementation of this reorganization and to bargain with the union.
“The agency’s plans to reorganize were kept secret from the union until the date and time that the plans were published to the affected employees,” said the council in the ULP. “The union was not given notice of the changes or given the opportunity to bargain the procedures or appropriate arrangements for staff that are adversely affected by the reorganization.”
CPL President Brandy Moore White said the council will continue to fight on behalf of its members.
“The recent announcement of one prison closure and six camp deactivations, which would result in possible displacement of over 400 staff was sudden and devastating not only for the staff at the affected facilities, but all of us who believe in the mission and integrity of our profession,” she said. “This decision was made without warning or consultation, but most disturbingly, right before the holiday season. The lack of transparency and complete disregard for employees' concerns has left us disheartened and enraged. We have and will continue to advocate relentlessly for fairness, accountability, and transparency for our membership.”
President Donald J. Trump spent his first day in office issuing a slew of executive orders directly targeting federal workers.
Read More
AFGE, Public Citizen, and State Democracy Defenders Fund (SDDF) filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for violating a law requiring that an advisory committee such as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) be fairly balanced in its membership and points of view.
Read More
A new bill has been introduced in the House and Senate to give federal employees a 4.3% raise next year as a way to close the pay gap between the federal and private sectors.
Read More
