THOMSON, Ill. — On Saturday, Oct. 24, Thomson Federal Prison held the latest in a string of job fairs around the area. Their goal is to close the gap of open positions for correctional officers - many, have stayed open for months.
"We're currently at 55% staffing. We're the lowest staffing in the Bureau of Prisons. So we need help," said Jon Zumkehr, president of the Local 4070 chapter of the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal employee union.
According to Zumkehr, Thomson's position as the newest prison in the Bureau of Prisons, as well as its remote location, have made recruiting difficult. But the real kicker, he says, is the pay.
"For a starting correctional officer, you make around $43,000 a year," he said. "Other prisons in Illinois, you might start at $47,000-48,000."
As a result, the prison reported only 201 of the 364 available custody staffing positions as filled, as of Oct. 21. That's a 163 position gap. Since September, Thomson has only seen a 1% growth in hired corrections officers, which Zumkehr says isn't even close to where they need to be.
At the latest job fair, attendees could grab some food and have staff members help answer questions and walk them through the application process. The local union and veterans assistants were also on site to help trouble shoot.
One applicant we spoke to, who wished to remain anonymous, was recently let go of his job of nearly 30 years, due to budget cuts. When asked what made him turn to Thomson, he said, "You know it's supervising obviously, it's people in a bad place, but they're not all bad people and if there's anything you can do to help them get to a good place when they get out… that would be a good feeling."
He also added that the application itself is pretty daunting, so having staff there to help him figure it out was extremely helpful.
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Outside of fairs, the local union has tried putting up billboards and sticking fliers onto cars and doors. They're trying to get 25% retention for every staff member.
In August, Illinois Representatives Bustos and Loebsack joined Senators Durbin and Duckworth in a letter to the Bureau of Prisons, asking for higher salaries for Thomson's staff.
"We're trying everything we can," said Zumkehr.
If you would like to apply at Thomson Federal Prison as a correctional officer, you can call the recruitment line at 815-259-1666 and a staff member will help walk you through the process.
