MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Unionized federal prison workers plan an eight-hour protest in Morgantown Saturday in connection with a recent decision by the Federal Bureau of Prisons to use federal prisons in Preston and Gilmer counties as COVID-19 quarantine sites for new prisoners.
Members of the American Federation of Government Employees Union from FCI Hazelton will protest the decision from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Pierpont Rd Exit (Exit 7) off I-68.
“We just want to get the word out to the public, we’ve had a lot of members of the public that want to stand with us and get the message to the agency the DOJ and leaders that we won’t tolerate this,” AFGE Local 420 President Rick Heldreth said.
Currently, 124 inmates have been put into quarantine at FCI Gilmer County, Heldreth said.
“Our health isn’t something we want to play games with or take chances with,” Heldreth said. “We’ve yet to hear any valid reason for moving these inmates from infected areas to here. It makes no sense, it’s not worth our health and safety.”
Heldreth said they have followed directives from Gov. Jim Justice and the CDC and it has prevented the virus from entering FCI Hazelton, they don’t want to take a chance of the virus entering the facility or possibly spreading to the community.
“We live all throughout the communities, Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. We go to church with everyone, we shop with everyone, we’re very active members of our communities and we don’t to take this out to anyone,” Heldreth said.
Heldreth is urging residents to contact the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Attorney General William Barr and other leaders to let them know they oppose the quarantine order.