Union: City must accept more inmates to keep prison open

By PETER H. MILLIKEN
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Corrections officers at the private prison want city officials to take a more positive and flexible approach.
The officers belong to the seven-member executive committee of the Federated Union of Correctional Officers.
"I knew things were slow," said Kenneth Speed of Youngstown, president of FUCO, which represents officers at Northeast Ohio Correctional Center and which has been negotiating with Corrections Corporation of America on its first labor contract.
He called the closing announcement "kind of shocking."
"They need more inmates to keep the place open. It kind of depends on what the city does in giving us more leniency.'
"We are seasoned corrections officers, and we can deal with different inmates if we do get them. I want the city to communicate with us more,'' Speed said.
Uncertain future: CCA's announcement casts a cloud of uncertainty on the negotiations, Speed said, adding the union can't prevent CCA from closing the prison.
Transfer is a one-time option, which the employee must accept or reject at the time of layoff, he said. The nearest CCA facilities are in Virginia and Tennessee. The union is trying to get some job security language in its contract.
"I have a few other options I can do, but I'm counting on the prison to stay open because it's a viable, good job," Speed said.
Bob Macklin of Green Township, a canine officer, said the company has already agreed to lay off by seniority and recall rights within two years after layoff.
"I think we've seen this coming, and I think the city had to see this coming if they've been paying attention to what's going on out there. CCA's trying to make money off that facility, not lose money on it, and we need the ability to get inmates in there,'' Macklin said.
"What's good for the community is to keep CCA here, and I think we need to look at whatever it takes to do that.
Has seen improvements: Saleema Aslam of Youngstown, the union's secretary-treasurer, said the prison has come a long way since it opened.
"A lot of good people work there. There are enough places in Youngstown closing already without another major job loss. I wish the city would be more cooperative with the prison," she said, adding she'd like the city to agree to let NOCC house up to maximum-security inmates if necessary to get enough prisoners to keep it open.
NOCC is now limited under its contract with the city to medium-security inmates.
"It is a very positive place to work. There have been so many upgrades and improvements since all the problems at the beginning," Aslam said.