‘Who’s going to run the prison?’ Union says loss of pay bonuses at BOP facility will cause major attrition

Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) correctional officers are concerned that an upcoming loss of retention-based pay bonuses will lead to worsening staff attrition and further deterioration of workplace conditions.

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents over 30,000 BOP correctional officers and other staff members, is urging BOP to renew annual retention incentives for correctional officers at United States Penitentiary Thomson (USP Thomson) in Illinois, ahead of BOP’s planned end of the bonuses on Dec. 31.

The more than 34,000 correctional officers and staff at BOP, a Department of Justice agency, face near-countless workforce challenges, including significant and persistent understaffing.