(BOP) - Press Release Today, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Director Charles E. Samuels, Jr., and Eric O. Young, National President of the Council of Prison Locals (CPL), along with 17 others, signed a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (often referred to as the Master Agreement) between the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Council of Prison Locals, American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE). The ceremony, held at BOP headquarters, memorialized the first Master Agreement signed in more than 16 years.
During the signing Director Samuels said, “This collective bargaining agreement belongs to all of us working for the Bureau. It took many years to develop, but we persevered and in the end we produced something all of us can be proud of.” National CPL President Young stated, “This is a significant milestone for all of us – one that has been a long time in the making.”
Others in attendance included the Bureau of Prisons’ Executive Staff, the Executive Board for the Council of Prison Locals; J. David Cox, National President, AFGE; Eugene Hudson, Jr., National Secretary-Treasurer, AFGE; David Borer, General Counsel, AFGE; and Augusta Thomas, National Vice President for Women and Fair Practices, AFGE. The signing ceremony was broadcast to senior managers and union officials at all Bureau of Prisons locations via video conferencing.
The Bureau of Prisons employs more than 39,000 corrections professionals who protect society and reduce crime by operating safe and secure prisons and preparing inmates to be law abiding productive citizens after release.