Iowa members rally to stop privatization of prison health care

DES MOINES, Iowa – The state of Iowa is trying to hand over prison health care to a private corporation. But AFSCME members are having none of it. On Wednesday, members of AFSCME Council 61 held an informational protest in Fort Madison.

They urged the state to keep prison health care safe, accountable, and public. Union members, legislators, and supporters picketed to call attention to the issue. And they demanded that state officials scrap any plans to privatize health services in Iowa's correctional facilities.

The state has issued a request for proposals to privatize prison health care. In a press release, Council 61 — which represents prison workers in state correctional facilities — said that in other states, privatization has failed and has led to worse care, unsafe conditions, costly lawsuits, and higher taxpayer bills.

AFSCME has long opposed privatizing prison services or entire correctional systems. Our union has also been a consistent foe of privatizing any public service.

“When states privatize prison health systems, they gamble with the lives of inmates and workers,” said Todd Copley, president of Council 61. “Iowa’s correctional nurses and officers work exhausting hours in dangerous conditions to keep facilities safe. These aren’t just jobs. These positions require unique training and experience. Iowans can count on public workers to do these jobs safely and with transparency. They’re owed the pay and benefits they were promised when they took these jobs.”

If health care is privatized, Copley said, corrections workers in the state would lose benefits they have worked hard to earn under the Iowa Public Employees’ Retirement System (IPERS).

Council 61 represents more than 40,000 public employees across Iowa, Missouri and Kansas, including correctional workers.