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