DES MOINES – AFSCME Iowa Council 61 President Danny Homan issued the following statement regarding the event Governor Branstad held today in recognition of Correctional Officers and Employees Week:
“The Governor’s Correctional Officers and Employees Week proclamation signing event held today in the Governor’s Office was a sham that showed how out of touch the governor is with the day to day concerns of correctional officers and corrections employees.
“The event was attended by the Governor, Lt. Governor, a photographer, four corrections management employees, two employees of a private contractor, and only one correctional officer. So the governor held a Correctional Officers and Employees Week event with one state employee who actually works in a cell house and has daily contact with inmates in a DOC facility.
“If Governor Branstad truly wants to show his appreciation for correctional officers and corrections employees, he would learn about the concerns of the line staff in our correctional facilities and community-based corrections districts rather than relying on the happy talk that comes from his corrections management team. If he truly cared about the state’s correctional officers and corrections staff, he would work with us to ensure that all positions inside the state’s correctional facilities and in our community-based corrections districts are adequately staffed.”
