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Union leaders call for reforms, better pay in wake of attacks on Iowa prison staff
Oct. 4, 2024 2:56 pm, Updated: Oct. 7, 2024 12:58 pm
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Union leaders are calling on state officials to provide more funding, better pay and more staffing, as well as to restore bargaining rights to correctional officers, in the wake of the latest inmate attack at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison.
Todd Copley, president of AFSCME Council 61, the public union representing correctional officers, said at a news conference Thursday there have been more than 150 assaults on correctional officers across Iowa's prison system so far in 2024.
Three years ago, two Anamosa State Penitentiary inmates attacked and killed two prison employees. Correctional officer Robert McFarland and prison nurse Lorena Schulte were bludgeoned to death in 2021 by Michael Dutcher and Thomas Woodard. The two armed themselves with metal hammers in a failed escape attempt.
Both of the victims’ families are suing the state and department employees for negligence and wrongful death in Jones County District Court.
Copley read a statement from McFarland’s wife, Sara Montague McFarland.
“The system is broken. It failed my husband and it’s failing the men and women who continue to work under these dangerous conditions,” Copley read from the statement. “How many more lives must be lost or destroyed before we take this seriously? How many more families must go through what we have gone through? … We are calling on our leaders to make real changes — hire more staff and pay them a fair wage, improve the safety measures for all, and give these officers the rights and protection and their voice on the job. They deserve nothing less.”
Last week, the union said two correctional officers at the Fort Madison prison were “violently attacked by an inmate during a routine procedure.” Copley described the attack Thursday, saying the inmate ripped the metal leg off a desk in his cell and used it as a weapon.
“Luckily, in the short amount of time he was in that cell, he did not have time to sharpen that piece of metal,” Copley said.
According to Copley, one of the guards was hit in the face and has a number of fractured bones. The Iowa Department of Corrections has said it won’t comment on open investigations.
Union officials call for bargaining rights
Copley and union supporters said it’s time to restore collective bargaining rights for public employees that were taken away under changes made to Iowa law in 2017 by Republican lawmakers.
State Sen. Nate Boulton, D-Des Moines, said correctional officers should be afforded the same collective bargaining rights as law enforcement officers and firefighters, who have the right to negotiate on issues including safety, working conditions, grievance and discipline procedures and seniority.
“Let's not miss the key factor here. We can restore safety and fairness in our workplaces by fully restoring the collective bargaining rights public employees deserve,” Boulton said at the news conference. “That right was taken away unfairly in 2017 and it's time to give these workers their voice back. It's not just about fairness. It’s about safety. It's about ensuring public employees are treated with dignity and respect.”
State Rep. Jeff Cooling, D-Cedar Rapids, introduced an amendment in the House Labor Committee last legislative session that would have classified nonsupervisory Department of Corrections employees who have direct contact with inmates as public safety employees, restoring bargaining rights they had before the law change. The amendment failed to win approval in the Republican-majority Iowa Legislature.
Iowa House Democrats also introduced budget amendments to increase funding to provide more staffing, better wages and safety measures.
Copley said wages for Iowa correctional officer lag behind surrounding states except Missouri, where wages are similar. He said most surrounding states’ entry-level wages are as much as $8 more an hour, and in Illinois and Minnesota pay is even higher.
“Decisive and immediate action is required,” Copley said. “Our correctional facilities are dangerously understaffed, and our workers’ safety is in jeopardy. Our public employees throughout the state of Iowa have been denied the basic right to have a voice in the workplace, and this cannot continue. We are calling on Gov. Reynolds and lawmakers … to address these injustices. The time for excuses and delays is over.”
Reynolds: State has addressed safety, hired staff and raised pay
State officials, meanwhile, say Iowa already is proactive in providing safety within the prison system.
A spokesman for Gov. Kim Reynolds, in a statement, said the governor “knows Iowa’s correctional officers work in an inherently hostile environment,” and that is why she has worked with the Iowa Department of Corrections to improve safety and security at the state prisons.
The statement noted Reynolds approved a $20.5 million funding increase for the Corrections Department in 2021 to implement safety and security improvements recommended by an independent party as part of a department-commissioned review of prison safety and security. The additional funding included a new director of prisoner operations, technology improvements, 85 new positions, K-9 teams and additional safety training. Reynolds also approved an increase in starting wages for correctional officers in July, according to the statement.
“Last month, the overall vacancy rate among Iowa correctional officers hit the lowest rate it has been in two years,” the statement said. “Moving forward, the Iowa Department of Corrections is committed to analyzing and assessing its security protocols and making upgrades where necessary.”
Copley, though, was quick to point out that the bump in starting wages ignored wages of longer tenured staff and did not address retention.
The Corrections Department said Director Beth Skinner had met with union leadership in September to discuss “training, enhanced security measures and gathering feedback on various operational matters.”
“Director Skinner believes that open communication between the Union and the DOC is the most effective way to address any issues," a department news release said. "In addition to regular meetings with union representatives, Director Skinner has initiated feedback forums in Institutions and Districts designed to encourage staff and leadership to share their thoughts and ideas. These forums provide a platform for constructive discussion, ensuring that every voice is heard.”
The statement said the department remains committed to fostering collaboration, transparency, safety and mutual respect.
Of the 156 reported assaults on correctional officers across Iowa's prison system in 2024, the Corrections Department said five of those assaults were classified as serious, and that over the last 10 years, the trend in serious assaults within state prisons has consistently declined.
Comments: (319) 398-8499; tom.barton@thegazette.com
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