BRUCETON MILLS, W.Va. — Members of the American Federation of Government Employees are fighting for union rights and their paychecks in the latest action taken by the federal government.
AFGE Local 420 President Justin Tarovisky said President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order that would classify them as part of the national security apparatus. The designation will end their ability to collectively bargain as they have had for decades.
“Through 100 years we have never been declared part of national security,” Tarovisky said Wednesday on WAJR’s “Talk of the Town.” “To say that now and to make comments like the officers have too much just and sufficient cause in the union, you can’t RIF people at will, and you have to follow the procedures to do that—it’s just a broad union attack.”
Retention incentive pay was awarded to the workers in April 2024 and in some cases the bonuses were as much as 25 percent. The checks in the next cycle will reflect the decrease, Tarovisky said.
“They were able to help us, Senator Manchin and Senator Capito, and I can’t say enough about what they did to get that done,” Tarovisky said. “Both of them were floored when that was taken because they weren’t even given a heads-up.”
Tarovisky said retention incentives normally have a two-year life span, and these will be cut after about nine months. Retention incentives have been used at chronically understaffed institutions to increase staffing levels.
“It wasn’t given forever; it was a tool,” Tarovisky said. “A tool used by the warden to get more bodies in here.”
Correctional officers are federal law enforcement officers with statutory powers of arrest and the ability to carry firearms. The stated mission of the Bureau of Prisons is to “keep federal offenders in safe, humane, and secure facilities, while also providing programs to help inmates become law-abiding citizens.”
“We are not part of national security,” Tarovisky said. “We provide custodial safety and security for the inmates, judges, federal juries, and inmates after they’re sentenced.”
Tarovisky said the line between the duties of bargaining and non-bargaining units has been very clear in the past. For example, the Whitey Bulger murder was handled completely by the FBI, and in other cases federal units have been called to investigate terror suspects.
“The FBI is involved with that type of thing. Who are non-bargaining counterterrorism units dealing with that? They are non-bargaining,” Tarovisky said. “Our officers go in every day to fight for the American people and to watch over these guys after they get incarcerated.”