They say food service is not a safety risk!
AFSCME CO's Jim Cunningham from KSR, Dan Ball from EKCC and Matt Hughes from Northpoint listen closely as DOC officials testify for lawmakers. |
A delegation of AFSCME corrections officers attended the House Judiciary Committee hearing, where DOC officials were put in the hot seat about the causes of the Northpoint riot and ongoing security issues caused by Aramark-provided food service in Kentucky’s prisons.
Corrections Commissioner LaDonna Thompson told lawmakers that Aramark food service does not pose a safety risk and that NO corrections officers have brought this issue to the attention of the wardens.
DOC may not be listening to us, but legislators are paying attention-- in a big way. Throughout the hearing, they posed tough questions to the Commissioner, the Secretary of the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, and an Aramark official.
“We have people who work there who are telling us one thing and you are telling us another,” said Rep. Darryl Owens (D- Louisville).
Lawmakers also demanded a copy of the full report on the Northpoint riot, which DOC has still not provided to lawmakers or the public. Representative Brent Yonts has introduced a bill, HB 33, that would sever Aramark’s contract with the state.
“It looks like corrections officers need to turn up the volume to get DOC to take our legitimate concerns about safety seriously.”
-Matt Hughes, an AFSCME member and Northpoint corrections officer |
WHAT’S NEXT??
“This was an important meeting because now DOC and Aramark have to pay attention to our concerns about safety. And it is all because we brought awareness of this issue to the legislators ourselves. Clearly the lines of communication within DOC are not working. Corrections officers need to be heard,” said Dan Ball, a corrections officer from Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex.
Thanks to our activism, AFSCME Corrections Officers will be meeting with Commissioner Thompson next week! Talk to your union steward if you would like to be involved in this meeting or you can contact us at info@afscmekentucky.org.
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