Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Socialist Progressives
Related: About this forumUnion Member and Correctional Counselor Stands for Safety at Federal Prisons
X post in Labor
From email.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Sept. 24, 2014
Contact: Tim Kauffman
Office: 202-639-6405
Cell: 202-374-6491
tim.kauffman@afge.org
Union Member and Correctional Counselor Stands for Safety at Federal Prisons
AFGE member Nathan McCasline stresses need for safer work conditions at federal prisons in latest AFGE documentary
WASHINGTON Correctional officers inside federal prisons carry no weapons. Most are not even allowed to have pepper spray, and officers only recently won the right to wear protective vests. They often work alone just one officer for every 130 to 150 inmates.
Thats why the top concern for correctional counselor Nathan McCasline is the safety and security of his fellow officers and staff. Nathan is president of American Federation of Government Employees Local 510, which represents Bureau of Prisons employees at Federal Correctional Institution-Edgefield, a medium-security prison near the South Carolina-Georgia border that houses more than 1,700 male inmates.
As a union official, it is my duty and it is an obligation to do all I can to make sure that the workplace is as safe as possible so that at the end of the day, that officer can go home to his family, Nathan says.
Nathan shares his story in the latest documentary produced by AFGE, which represents Nathan and more than 37,000 Bureau of Prisons correctional officers, nurses, teachers, and other staff. The documentary series is part of AFGEs year-long campaign, I Am AFGE, to increase the publics awareness and appreciation of the women and men who work for them every day.
Our correctional officers put their lives at risk every day they go to work, and unfortunately some have lost their lives while in the line of duty, AFGE National President J. David Cox Sr. said. They should not have to fear going to work, and their families and loved ones should not have to worry that they might not come home. That is why AFGE and our Council of Prison Locals have launched the Safe Prisons Project to improve working conditions for Bureau of Prisons employees. They watch over some of Americas most dangerous inmates; the least we can do is watch out for their safety.
The Safe Prisons Project has three main goals:
Increase funding for the Bureau of Prisons to address chronic understaffing issues that put officers in danger;
Expand the Pepper Spray Pilot Program to all federal prisons so correctional officers can defend themselves; and
Support mandatory sentencing reform by backing the Smart Sentencing Act of 2013 (S 1410 and HR 3382) to reduce overcrowding of our prisons.
What the union does, it gives us the opportunity to be able to get the equipment we need, to try to fight to get the staffing we need, Nathan says. The union also helps us get our voice up on Capitol Hill to let them know we need additional people to be able to come and work this job.
Nathans story is one of 15 short-form documentaries being released by AFGE through the end of the year, highlighting individual federal employees who carry out important work across the country.
All of the videos are being posted online and distributed to hundreds of news outlets across the country. The campaign also is being promoted through social media, an employee photo contest and other events.
AFGE represents tens of thousands of law enforcement officers at the Bureau of Prisons and other federal agencies who put their lives on the line every day, President Cox said. They and all other government employees have dedicated their careers to serving the public. This campaign is our way of thanking them for their service and reminding Americans of the valuable work they do.
#####
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.
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
1 replies, 516 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (2)
ReplyReply to this post
1 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Union Member and Correctional Counselor Stands for Safety at Federal Prisons (Original Post)
Omaha Steve
Sep 2014
OP
yallerdawg
(16,104 posts)1. Workplace safety.
Guards are all about safety, for inmates, too. If we had discretionary sentencing, alternative sentencing, and a judicial system interested primarily in justice and mercy, not just punishment and revenge, prisons would be much more manageable in the effort to rehabilitate, educate and aid in a valued future for the inmates.