Corrections workers picket for safety and respect

Teamsters Local 117 members at DOC are picketing TODAY in Monroe

MONROE, Wash. (June 5, 2024) — State corrections workers, represented by Teamsters Local 117, are holding a Picket for Safety & Respect today at the Monroe Correctional Complex (MCC) to demand safer conditions inside Washington state prisons.

#Teamsters #corrections workers out picketing the prison in #Monroe this morning, demanding safer conditions & respect #1u pic.twitter.com/K4NWiPKKw7

— Teamsters 117 (@teamsters117) June 5, 2024

Workers are calling for an independent, comprehensive safety audit and for the Department of Corrections (DOC) to involve line staff in decisions related to safety and security, among a number of other demands. From 2019 to 2023, the Department of Corrections saw a threefold increase in the rate of serious assaults on staff.

Earlier this week, another assault occurred when an officer at MCC working in the Sky River Treatment Center was punched in the face.

TAKE A STAND — Pickets will continue until 4:30 p.m. today (Wednesday, June 5). All union members and community supporters are invited to join Teamsters 117 DOC members at the picket on West Main across from Twin Rivers Chevron in Monroe.

“Our members at the DOC perform essential public safety work,” said Paul Dascher, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 117. “They watch over, counsel, care for, and prepare the incarcerated population for the time when they return to our communities. Right now, DOC leadership is ignoring their concerns and not doing enough to keep them safe. That needs to change.”

Teamsters Local 117 represents 6,000 corrections workers at 12 facilities across Washington State, including 1,000 employees at the Monroe Correctional Complex. The Union represents dozens of classifications, including officers, sergeants, medical staff, cooks, counselors, maintenance staff, administrative staff, and many others.