Court restores union contract for Thomson federal prison officers

A federal judge on Sept. 29 ordered the Bureau of Prisons to reinstate the collective bargaining agreement covering law enforcement officers at FCI Thomson and across the agency through May 2029. The ruling reverses the BOP’s 2025 contract cancellation and could reshape workplace rights, staffing rules and discipline procedures for prison staff.

Why it matters: - The order restores union representation, official time and dues deductions for Bureau of Prisons law enforcement officers. - The ruling also puts back the negotiated process for changes to schedules, leave and workplace conditions. - AFGE Local 4070 said the decision helps officers who work in dangerous conditions and had lost workplace protections.

What happened: - On Sept. 29, 2026, U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver granted a preliminary injunction in National Council of Prison Locals et al. v. Federal Bureau of Prisons. - The court set aside the BOP’s Sept. 25, 2025 cancellation of the master agreement. - The judge ordered the agency to immediately reinstate the master agreement and related local agreements for the rest of the contract term, which runs through May 28, 2029. - AFGE Local 4070 said the ruling restores the contract covering correctional officers and staff at FCI Thomson. - Jon Zumkehr, president of AFGE Local 4070, said the contract lets officers enforce safety rules, challenge unfair discipline and have a voice on the job.

The details: - Local 4070 represents employees at FCI Thomson, who were covered by the national agreement between AFGE’s Council of Prison Locals and the BOP. - After the cancellation, the BOP stopped recognizing the union as the employees’ exclusive representative. - The agency also ended official time and dues deductions. - The BOP moved forward with schedule, leave and workplace-condition changes without following the negotiated process, according to the union. - The court found the union is likely to succeed on its claim that the BOP’s termination violated the Administrative Procedure Act. - The BOP’s termination letter cited an executive order as the reason for ending the agreement. - The same day, the BOP director publicly said the “whole purpose” of ending the contract was that the union was “an obstacle to progress.” - The judge found those explanations inconsistent and ordered the contract restored. - Zumkehr said canceling the contract added stress to an already high-risk mission.

Between the lines: - The injunction gives the union a major procedural win, but it does not end the broader legal fight. - The court’s inconsistency finding suggests the BOP may face scrutiny over how it justified the contract cancellation. - The decision also lands in a broader fight over labor rights for federal correctional officers.

What’s next: - The contract stays in place while the case continues. - Local 4070 said it will keep working with the Council of Prison Locals, AFGE and BOP law enforcement officers until the contract is secure. - Congress could also shape the outcome through pending prison-safety and federal-worker-rights legislation. - The House has yet to act on S. 736, the Lieutenant Osvaldo Albarati Stopping Prison Contraband Act. - The bill would strengthen penalties for providing cellphones in federal prisons and require the BOP to review policies on prohibited objects. - On Sept. 16, 2026, the president signed S. 307, the Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act, now Public Law 119-110. - That law requires the BOP to act on Inspector General recommendations concerning sexual harassment and sexual assault of BOP employees. - AFGE Local 4070 urged the House to pass the contraband bill. - Zumkehr also thanked Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Rep. Eric Sorensen for supporting federal employees. - Miller-Meeks and Sorensen voted for the Protect America’s Workforce Act, and Sorensen co-sponsored the bill.

The bottom line: - A federal court restored the union contract for Thomson prison officers, reviving workplace protections while the legal and political fight over federal correctional labor rights continues.