VIENNA, Ill. (KBSI) – Illinois Department of Corrections workers are still fearing for their safety – still handling potentially dangerous letters and packages – after leaders said no to a request to temporarily halt mail service.
A rally on Thursday focused on worker safety – shining a light on what they are facing. AFSCME union president for local 415, Brett Oxford said 11 Vienna Correctional Center workers – in three weeks – have experienced overdose symptoms after handling mail they believe to have been laced with drugs. He says drugs and alcohol are rampant in the correction centers.
“This administration has known about this for years, and they failed to act,” Oxford said. “This falls back on them. Our employees are in there every day doing everything they can to prevent this. When 11 out of, you know, 350 members in the last three weeks have went out in an ambulance that scares you. A lot of these people are very scared.”…