THOMSON, ILLINOIS (December 19, 2023) — The American Federation of Government Employees is urging the Bureau of Prisons to reverse its decision to cut salaries for correctional officers and staff at FCI Thomson in Illinois at the end of this month.
AFGE Local 4070 was informed by BOP’s regional office that the 25% retention pay that employees have received since early 2022 will be discontinued at the end of the month — resulting in a major pay-cut just after the holidays.
“If the retention pay is removed, nearly 150 staff have told us in writing that they will leave for jobs elsewhere,” Local 4070 President Jon Zumkehr said.
The prison currently has 400 employees, which is 71 short of its authorized level, for an overall staffing percentage of 84%. The prison was downgraded from a high-security facility to a low-security prison earlier this year and a new warden was brought in following calls from AFGE to remove the former warden due to the failure to address the alarming number of sexual assaults and misconduct against staff by inmates.
Zumkehr said now is not the time to cut pay for staff who have remained loyal to the job.
“We need to keep the retention pay in place and establish a positive rapport and morale with employees while we work through the changes of the new mission at Thomson. While many facilities have been riddled with staffing issues, Thomson’s concerns could be minimized by keeping the retention in place for all the staff there,” Zumkehr said.
In October, labor leaders joined AFGE in calling on BOP Director Collete Peters to retain the retention pay incentive at Thomson.
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal employee union, representing 750,000 workers in the federal government and the government of the District of Columbia.For the latest AFGE news and information, visit the AFGE Media Center.
