AFGE Decries Retaliatory Tactics, Discrimination In Federal Prisons
Thursday, July 21, 2011
(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)Corrections workers in our nation’s prisons are
fed up with facing threats from both prisoners and bosses. The American
Federation of Government (AFGE) Employees Council of Prison Locals called on
Attorney General Eric Holder and the United States Congress in July to hold
Bureau of Prisons (BOP) leadership accountable for failure to make changes to
the climate of retaliation and discrimination that’s running rampant in the
federal prison system.
“Not only do correctional workers face life
threatening situations on a daily basis, but they are facing retaliation from
managers” if they complain about retaliation and discrimination by their
bosses, said Michael Castelle, Sr., National Fair Practices Coordinator for the
AFGE Council of Prison Locals.
“BOP management has done the bare minimum to
address this issue,” Castelle said, noting that the agency has yet to enforce
the fixes recommended after a damaging EEOC report was released in November
2010. The November 2010 EEOC Bureau of Prisons report stemmed from concerns over
the unusually large number of complaints BOP employees filed from 2003-2006 in
which they alleged retaliation. A class action complaint alleged a pattern and
practice of retaliation against prison workers.
“Retaliation and
harassment…has not diminished since the issuance of the EEOC report,” said
Castelle. “Managers that discriminate at the Bureau of Prisons do so with
complete impunity.” AFGE urged Congress and Attorney General Holder to “take
action and demand accountability of BOP management for their cavalier attitude
toward the well-being of their employees.”
- Union
Communication Services