Post by CC on Oct 31, 2009 5:39:40 GMT -5
Possible layoffs unsettle prison officers
By desmoinesregister.com
Published: 10/30/2009
Newton, Ia. — The mood was tense and somber at the Newton Correctional Facility during Thursday’s first shift change, as rank-and-file prison workers await the outcome of union negotiations that could determine their fates.
The Newton prison, which houses 1,100 inmates, is among nine state prisons and eight community corrections districts where 515 Department of Corrections workers face layoffs if budget-cut negotiations falter between union leaders and Gov. Chet Culver.
As correctional officers and other workers streamed into the Newton facility in the pre-dawn darkness Thursday, some employees were openly critical of Culver and other politicians and voiced opposition to reopening union contracts. Twenty-six jobs are in jeopardy here among 321 employees, and 28 vacant jobs won’t be filled.Employees also expressed worries about prison security if more employees lose their jobs. The budget cuts, which would hit the Department of Corrections harder than any other state agency, would include elimination of 262 jobs now vacant.
By desmoinesregister.com
Published: 10/30/2009
Newton, Ia. — The mood was tense and somber at the Newton Correctional Facility during Thursday’s first shift change, as rank-and-file prison workers await the outcome of union negotiations that could determine their fates.
The Newton prison, which houses 1,100 inmates, is among nine state prisons and eight community corrections districts where 515 Department of Corrections workers face layoffs if budget-cut negotiations falter between union leaders and Gov. Chet Culver.
As correctional officers and other workers streamed into the Newton facility in the pre-dawn darkness Thursday, some employees were openly critical of Culver and other politicians and voiced opposition to reopening union contracts. Twenty-six jobs are in jeopardy here among 321 employees, and 28 vacant jobs won’t be filled.Employees also expressed worries about prison security if more employees lose their jobs. The budget cuts, which would hit the Department of Corrections harder than any other state agency, would include elimination of 262 jobs now vacant.