LANSING, MI (WTVB) – The union representative Michigan Corrections Officers says they spoke with eight state legislators as well as staff members from three other legislative offices last week about the effects the COVID-19 pandemic is having on officers.
Over 200 M.D.O.C. staff members including 28 at the Lakeland Correctional Facility in Coldwater have tested positive for the virus.
According to the union’s website, M.C.O. President Byron Osborn and Executive Director Andy Potter spoke with legislators about the lack of proper protective equipment (such as N-95 masks).
Other items discussed included hazard pay, the implementation of screening protocols in prisons and the need for an immediate mechanism to restore leave credits for officers who have been ordered to quarantine as a precautionary measure.
M.C.O. leaders plan to have more conference calls with legislators in the future.
