Bureau of Prisons Signs First New Contract in 16 years

WASHINGTON, May 29, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is proud to announce that the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and Council of Prisons Locals (CPL) will sign their new contract this Thursday, May 29^th, in their Partnership Committee meeting. A signing ceremony is planned at the BOP Headquarters building located in Washington, DC. This contract will be BOP's first new contract in 16 years. 

"This is a great victory for all of the men and women working in the Bureau," said CPL President Eric Young. "We are proud to have kept all our benefits through the Bush years. We have added new ones including an increased uniform allowance. Our correctional staff are our most valuable resource, and we are happy to see that they will continue to be taken care of with this deal."

Attendees for the signing ceremony include AFGE National President J. David Cox Sr., National Secretary-Treasurer Eugene Hudson, AFGE General Counsel David Borer and Women's and Fair Practices NVP Augusta Thomas. The signing ceremony will be held on a video-conference. All local presidents and prison wardens from across the country have been invited to see the deal signed.

The parties last signed a contract 16 years ago, and concluded negotiations after more than 13 years. The parties have been working more closely together on their working relationship, since the death of two dedicated law enforcement officers this past year. In October, a partnership meeting included a visit with the Attorney General.

"This is a significant milestone for us," President Young said. "The Bureau was the only agency in the government, compared to other organizations within AFGE, to preserve benefits for its workers through the Bush Administration. We're proud to continue to provide those benefits over a time when our fellow brothers and sisters in other organizations saw theirs cut."

This milestone comes at a time of growth and improvement in the BOP. President Cox said that he is proud of the direction the Bureau is taking to ensure better benefits for BOP workers, and looks forward to the efforts that the partnership and AFGE are making to improve conditions in prisons across the country.

"This contract is just the first step that we are taking to improve conditions for corrections officers and prison staff," Cox said. "AFGE has worked hard to improve the working conditions of prison workers, and continues to do so in the wake of the murders of corrections officers last year. We hope to follow this contract victory with more reforms on mandatory minimum sentencing and pepper spray access for officers. Through our Safe Prisons Project, we remain committed to making our prisons safer for our staff and look forward to working with the BOP and CPL to continue producing positive results."

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal employee union, representing 670,000 workers in the federal government and the government of the District of Columbia.

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SOURCE American Federation of Government Employees