FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 08, 2026
October 08, 2026
Contact:
Tim Kauffman
202-374-6491
[email protected]
AFGE Blasts Shameful Move by Bureau of Prisons to Terminate Worker Contract Despite Court Order Mandating Reinstatement
Categories:
BOP
Administration tries to silence law enforcement officers, union says
WASHINGTON – The American Federation of Government Employees rejects the Bureau of Prisons’ attempt to once again terminate its union contract protecting 30,000 federal correctional officers and staff despite a clear and controlling court order requiring the contract’s reinstatement.
On Sept. 29, U.S. District Judge Vernon Oliver of the District of Connecticut granted the union a preliminary injunction setting aside the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ September 2025 termination of the collective bargaining agreement and ordered the agency to immediately reinstate the union’s contract. The judge’s order was in response to the lawsuit filed in November 2025 by AFGE’s National Council of Prison Locals (AFGE Council 33) and AFGE Local 1661, which represents employees at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut.
After a week of foot-dragging by the agency, AFGE filed a motion on Tuesday asking the court to find BOP Director William Marshall III in contempt of court for failing to reinstate the contract and to compel the agency to identify the steps it has taken to implement the order.
The following day, in violation of the court’s preliminary injunction, Director Marshall issued a memorandum announcing he was again terminating the contract effective immediately.
“It’s absurd and shameful that this administration would stoop so low as to flout the rule of law inside our own federal prisons just to silence the voices of the brave correctional officers who work every day in some of the most challenging environments in the country,” AFGE National President Everett Kelley said.
Terminating the collective bargaining agreement compromises officers’ safety and makes it harder for officers to do their jobs, AFGE Council 33 National President Brandy Moore White said.
“Our collective bargaining agreement and local agreements provide essential protections for employees who work every day in some of the most challenging and dangerous conditions in federal service. The public should be outraged. These agreements are not simply pieces of paper; they provide stability, due process, and a meaningful voice for the men and women who keep our institutions safe,” Moore White said. “Our members deserve nothing less than full compliance with the court’s decision. We will continue to stand together and fight to restore the rights and protections for our members.”
Written by OPEIU 2 AFL-CIO
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