HAZELTON, W.Va. — A federal judge in Connecticut has ordered the Federal Bureau of Prisons to reinstate the collective bargaining agreement with the union representing tens of thousands of agency employees, reversing, for the time being a decision made by BOP Director Billy Marshall.
The order from U.S. District Judge Vernon Oliver also directs the reinstatement of amendments, local supplemental agreements, and any other agreements reached under it. The agreement will continue through May 28, 2029, the judge said.
There’s reaction from those representing workers at the Hazelton federal prison in Preston County.
“The union is there to make the public aware,” Fair Practices Coordinator for the Council of Prison Locals (CPL) 33 Jose Rojas said. “We are the whistleblowers for the public. We are not here to harm management. We are here to make sure it’s a fair game for everybody.”
In the absence of the collective bargaining agreement, Rojas said an already dangerous job became even more perilous. At FCI Hazelton, Rojas said on more than one occasion guards have been exposed to unknown substances that have required hospitalization. In some cases the prison workers have been rendered unconscious in the events.
“That’s an issue we would have addressed immediately, and management would have worked with us,” Rojas said. “We would have probably had the Occupational Health and Safety Organization (OSHA) there immediately, but since there was no union, they just moved on like nothing ever happened.”
Collective bargaining rights were ended with Executive Order 14251 signed by President Trump in March 2025. The ruling by Judge Oliver will restore collective bargaining rights for more than 30,000 workers across the country. Rojas noted incumbents U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, R-West Virginia, and Riley Moore, R-West Virginia, 2, didn’t support their efforts to regain their bargaining rights.
“It’s unfortunate we didn’t get support from those two up there because I think it was politically motivated,” Rojas said. “When it comes to safety and security politics should never be involved.”
Staffing has been a serious issue across the system, especially at the facility in Preston County. Rojas said this order will restore some of the benefits they use when trying to recruit new officers into the profession.
“Part of the reason it was attractive to work for the BOP was that you had union protection; you had union protection for your rights,” Rojas said. “You actually have rights, so if you’re under investigation, you get to have a union representative there; it’s almost like having Miranda rights.”
Rojas said the ruling is good for inmates and their families as well. Many of the safety issues they’ve acted on in the past have benefited prison staff as well as the inmates and families.
“We are the whistleblowers for the public,” Rojas said. “Not just for the staff; it’s also for the inmates, so their families know that if there is a safety issue, we will hold management accountable and fix it.”