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-- WITH PHOTO -- TO LABOR, AND NATIONAL EDITORS:
Bureau of Prisons Teacher Discusses Life Inside Federal Prisons in new
"I Am AFGE" Documentary
WASHINGTON, April 16, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Jill Carver
teaches parenting skills to more than a hundred men every day, but
these are no ordinary students. Jill works inside a medium-security
federal prison in West Virginia, and her students are inmates.
"The Bureau of Prisons is not for everyone. You have to have a certain
mentality to work in a federal prison," Jill says. "We know that we
are the last line of defense. We keep inmates in and we keep the
community safe."
Jill shares her story in the latest documentary produced by the
American Federation of Government Employees, which represents Jill and
more than 37,000 other bargaining unit employees throughout the
Federal Bureau of Prisons. The documentary series is part of AFGE's
year-long campaign, "I Am AFGE," to increase the public's awareness
and appreciation of the women and men who work for them every day.
The men and women who work in federal prisons risk their lives just
going to work. Federal prisons are overcrowded and understaffed,
resulting in significant increases in inmate assaults against
correctional workers. Three officers have been killed in the past five
years.
"I'm a teacher and I'm the only staff member in that room with 25 to
30 inmates every day, and I have four classes a day," Jill says in the
video.
Jill credits AFGE for fighting to improve working conditions for
correctional workers through the Safe Prisons Project. She is
president of AFGE Local 404, which represents more than 250 employees
at Federal Correctional Institution Beckley in Beaver, W. Va.
"We're the ones who fight for stab resistant vests. We're the ones who
fight for those extra employees that are there," Jill says. "Our goal
is to make sure that our staff is safe. That's what we fight for every
day."
For Jill, ensuring a safe work environment also means protecting her
family: she has two sons and a daughter-in-law who work in the federal
prison system.
"I want both of my sons to be proud that they stepped into my
footsteps and moved forward into the federal prisons. I don't want
them to say, 'Mom, what did you get us into?'" she says.
Jill's story is one of 15 short-form documentaries being released by
AFGE every three weeks through the end of the year, highlighting
individual federal employees who carry out important work across the
country.
All of the videos will be posted online and distributed to hundreds of
news outlets across the country. The campaign also is being promoted
through social media, an employee photo contest and other events.
In addition, a special toll-free phone line has been established to
record and share testimonials from federal employees or citizens who
value the services that federal employees provide. The number to call
is 1-844-IAM-AFGE (426-2343).
"AFGE is proud to represent more than 30,000 Bureau of Prisons
officers and staff across the country who protect us from violent and
dangerous criminals, often at their own peril," AFGE National
President J. David Cox Sr. said. "They and all other government
employees are the most dedicated workers you could ever have the
fortune of meeting. This campaign is our way of shining a light on
them and reminding the public why the work that they do matters."
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest
federal employee union, representing 670,000 workers in the federal
government and the government of the District of Columbia .
For the latest AFGE news and information, follow us on Facebook and
Twitter .
Video -
http://origin-qps.onstreammedia.com/origin/multivu\_archive/PRNA/ENR/FX-MM03679-20140416-1.mp4
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131120/MM21150LOGO
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140319/DC86787LOGO
SOURCE American Federation of Government Employees
-0- 04/16/2014
/CONTACT: Tim Kauffman, 202-639-6405/202-374-6491, tim.kauffman@afge.org
/Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131120/MM21150LOGO
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140319/DC86787LOGO
/Web Site: http://www.afge.org
CO: American Federation of Government Employees
ST: District of Columbia West Virginia
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PRN
-- MM03679 --
0000 04/16/2014 16:00:00 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com
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