AFGE Week in Review (June 18, 2009)

AFGE Calls for BOP Chief's Removal: The American Federation of Government Employees last week called on Attorney General Eric Holder to remove Bureau of Prisons Director Harley Lappin following the agency's repeated refusals to address federal prisons' dangerous conditions, which have led to injuries and deaths among inmates and staff. AFGE President John Gage and AFGE Council of Prison Locals President Bryan Lowry said at a news conference in Washington, D.C., June 11 that BOP continued to ignore the overcrowding and understaffing problems even though annual reports continuously show a spike in prison violence. AFGE called on BOP to provide its correctional officers with stab-resistant vests, batons, pepper spray, and Tasers to protect themselves as home-made weapons are rampant and officers are regularly outnumbered by inmates, sometimes 150 to one. AFGE also called on Attorney General Holder to hire 9,000 more officers so that BOP would return to the same levels of staffing as in 1997.

The debate over safety issues became even more heated as BOP officers are still left unprotected on the one-year anniversary of the death of Correctional Officer Jose Rivera, who was brutally stabbed by two inmates at a high security prison in Atwater, California, this month last year. A new report on Rivera's homicide revealed several new details, including the lack of safety equipment and a delay in getting responding staff to the unit. Rivera was the only one who had the key to the unit's front door at the time of the attack. Neither of the two staff in the unit had a key, and the compound officer had to open the unit door to responding staff, who arrived to the scene after Rivera was stabbed at least 10 times. Lowry said the practice of assigning the key to only one officer has to change. The inmates were also intoxicated from home-made liquor at the time of the attack. Gage emphasized that had Rivera been wearing a vest and had he as well as the two first responders had a non-lethal weapon like a pepper spray, Rivera may have survived the attack.

Mark Peacock, the Rivera family lawyer, said at the news conference that the family was disgusted by BOP for doing nothing to address the dangerous working condition Rivera and other officers had to be in. "They asked me to ask BOP why he died the way he died," Peacock said.  

Thrift Savings Plan Reforms Included in Tobacco Bill: The Senate last week passed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act with AFGE-backed provisions expanding TSP benefits. The bill, HR 1256, would automatically enroll new federal employees into the plan; establish a Roth-style option in which participants can invest their taxable dollars into their savings plan and withdraw them tax-free at retirement; allow spouses of deceased TSP participants to maintain their accounts; and permit employees to invest their TSP funds into private-sector mutual funds.

The bill, however, does not include a highly anticipated provision that would allow federal employees covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System to cash in on their unused sick leave at retirement. Also dropped from the bill were a measure that would move federal employees working in Hawaii, Alaska, and U.S. territories from the cost of living adjustments system to locality pay; and a provision that would grant employees in the D.C. Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency credit for their time in service before the agency was transferred to the federal government. These provisions were included in the House version of the bill passed in April.     

Swine Flu Cases Confirmed at ICE Miami Processing Center: The Immigration and Customs Enforcement Krome Service Processing Center in Miami, Florida, has confirmed cases of H1N1. AFGE has urged the agency for weeks to fit its personnel with N-95 masks and to provide training and information on how to deal with the H1N1 virus, but ICE has been unresponsive – until now.

"Flu-like symptoms in several detainees were reported on Monday, June 8. Since the outbreak of the flu, contract employees at Krome have had access to N-95 masks but ICE employees have not," said Pat Remigio, president of AFGE National Council 118-ICE. "Only now that H1N1 is confirmed are our personnel being fitted for protective gear. It doesn't make any sense."

AFGE members were briefed last week on plans to deal with the H1N1 virus. The ICE personnel at detention centers such as the one at Krome are in a high risk environment, dealing with hundreds of individuals who are waiting for their immigration status to be determined or who are awaiting repatriation.

AFGE Calls for Congressional Investigation of VA's Leasing Program, Health Care Privatization: Testifying before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee on VA construction last week, AFGE Secretary Treasurer  J. David Cox urged the panel to conduct an investigation into the agency's medical facility leasing program that has resulted in efforts by directors of several VA medical centers to make significant reductions in health care services to veterans and the diversion of a large number of veterans to non-VA hospitals. Cox told lawmakers that VA came up with the program last year to enter into long term "leasing arrangements" with private hospitals to provide medical services to veterans that they currently receive from VA clinicians at VA facilities. Instead of building and upgrading facilities to improve services to veterans, VA would send them to local hospitals that do not specialize in combat-related conditions and are far more costly than services provided directly by VA. VA is attempting to implement this major change without input from veterans, employees groups or local congressional leaders. VA hospitals that are facing major cuts in services coupled with long term arrangements for contract care are those in Salisbury, N.C.; Denver, Colo.; South Texas; Fargo, N.D.; Iron Mountain, Mich.; Northern Indiana; and Fort Worth, Texas.   

House Passes Bill to Increase  TSO Uniform Allowance, Provide Protective Gear: At the urging of AFGE, the House earlier this month passed a bill that would increase the annual uniform allowance for Transportation Security Officers from $150 to $300. The 2009 Transportation Security Administration Authorization Act would also mandate that TSA develop protocols for the use of protective equipment including respirators as part of its future preparation for pandemics and other health concerns.

Inside Government: A myriad of problems facing the Social Security Administration (SSA), including underfunding and eroding leadership, were addressed last week on AFGE's radio show, "Inside Government." Two leaders from AFGE's National Council of SSA Field Operations Locals, President Witold Skwierczynski and Legislative Chair Dana Duggins, broke down the agency's issues. Skwierczynski started by detailing efforts to remove Commissioner Michael Astrue, including a vote of "no confidence" by the union and a scathing report by the Government Accountability Office. Duggins then expanded upon a gag order instructing employees to stop assisting claimants as they had in the past. Other topics addressed included iClaims security concerns, understaffing, a severe claims backlog, and a poorly executed awards program. For more information on these issues, please visit www.preserveyoursocialsecurity.com.

"Inside Government" - hosted by AFGE Assistant General Counsel J. Ward Morrow - airs on Fridays at 10 a.m. EDT nationwide on Federal News Radio at www.federalnewsradio.com and 1500 AM in the Washington, D.C., area. Programs are archived on the Federal News Radio Web site and can be heard on demand at http://www.federalnewsradio.com or http://www.afge.org/insidegovernment. Please note there will be a short advertisement prior to the start of the program. The program also airs on Saturdays at 7 a.m. on KTKK 630 AM, "The Voice of Utah," in Ogden, Utah sponsored by AFGE Local 1592. For more information, please e-mail InsideGovernment@afge.org or go to www.federalnewsradio.com.