February 19—National President David Neufeld and RVP Bill Bailey visited Warkworth Institution, in Warkworth, Ontario. This institution is situated approximately 172 kilometers east of Toronto and 20 minutes north of the 401. This institution is considered quite remote given its overall distance from major city centers. This was President Neufeld’s first visit to the institution.
Warkworth Institution, a medium-security men’s facility, first opened in 1967. Based on the design features, Warkworth Institution is a sister institution to Springhill Institution, Cowansville Institution and Drumheller Institution. The Institution’s inmate capacity is identified as 537 but, on this date, the inmate population was reported to be at 644 inmates. Essentially this inmate count is reflective of the high number of federal inmates currently being housed within the province, requiring a double bunk situation.
President Neufeld and RVP Bailey were welcomed to the site by Local President Rebecca Chambers. The USJE representatives were then provided a tour of the site and an opportunity to meet with many USJE members one on one. These interactions were extremely helpful to understand the working conditions at the site and the challenges that our members face in their daily work. Some of the challenges expressed by our USJE members are very similar to what is experienced in other medium security institutions but there were some very nuanced challenges identified as well. Warkworth’s inmate population reflects a “high medium” population, with many inmates coming there after having their inmate classification overridden from a Maximum-Security level. Referred to as a “catch all” inmate population, Warkworth receives many inmates from other institutions in Ontario when they are not able to be managed due to institutional adjustment issues. Needless to say, USJE members made it clear that the inmate population is very complex with very high needs in a variety of areas.
During the tour, President Neufeld and RVP Bailey were able to stop and speak to members in several areas of the institution. This included Programs (Employment Coordinator, Correctional Programs), Education (teachers) and Parole (Parole Officers).
The issue of high workloads came up in many of the discussions. It is interesting to note that these discussions were non- discriminate and were reported from members in CR-04 positions to WP-04 positions. The Parole Officer group reported that the current average caseload ratio sits at 1:30, largely due to the high population count and the high number of Temporary Detained cases. President Neufeld shared some of the details of the ongoing CSC Parole Officer Workload Review with the members and identified the importance of completing this important review in order for proper resourcing levels in the future.
President Neufeld and RVP Bailey also stopped in the kitchen to speak with the Food Services Officers (FOS) and to share details concerning USJE’s ongoing Food Service Officer Campaign. The FOS members expressed their appreciation for the campaign and indicated that issues around proper resourcing, functioning equipment, training and staff safety resonated with them. The FOS members were encouraged to follow and support the campaign.
An opportunity was taken to speak to the teachers one on one regarding the Comprehensive Expenditure Review (CER) and the Workforce Adjustment situation at hand. The USJE representatives answered many questions posed about the CER and the efforts the union is taking to help protect our member’s work.
The Local also set up a gathering in the gym for members to meet with President Neufeld and RVP Bailey. A total of 52 members were in attendance and they were provided details on USJE’s Budget Cuts Campaign, CR-03/CR-04 Campaign, the status of collective bargaining and the Workforce Adjustment situation at CSC.
President Neufeld and RVP Bailey would like to thank Deputy Warden, Tim Gunter, for taking the time to meet with them and for supporting the site visit. DW Gunter expressed his appreciation for the work of USJE members at the site and the significant contributions they make to the operations of the institution.
President Neufeld and RVP Bailey are extremely grateful to local management and the USJE members of the Local for the welcoming and memorable visit to Warkworth. A big thank you also goes out to all of the Local Executive members of Local 00032 for their service and commitment to the membership:
Rebecca Chambers, Kathrine Hislop, Tim Gosselin, Sydney Young, Kasey Hislop, Shannon Sheridan, Darren Brinklow and Eric Nestoruk.