Major union criticizes Joe Biden over prison closures

May 23, 2021 Carley Shaffer US 0

Partial view of the Villahermosa prison in Cali, Colombia, on June 23, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. - According to data released by the Personeria de Cali, 658 positive cases of COVID-19 have been detected at the prison -583 in prisoners and 75 in INPEC workers and auxiliaries. (Photo by Luis ROBAYO / AFP) (Photo by LUIS ROBAYO/AFP via Getty Images)

Partial view of the Villahermosa prison in Cali, Colombia, on June 23, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Luis ROBAYO / AFP) (Photo by LUIS ROBAYO/AFP via Getty Images)

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UPDATED 3:55 PM PT – Sunday, May 23, 2021

Joe Biden has requested that the Bureau of Prisons withhold from renewing contracts with 11 prisons that are known for holding mostly foreign convicts. In a letter released last week, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers requested the Biden administration reconsider their decision. If followed through, the IAMAW said the move would impact 1,200 union jobs.

The union noted the facilities that Biden is looking to close are some of the largest employers in their localities. Because of this, they emphasized how much of a negative impact these closures would have on the community.

“The closure of these facilities will result in thousands of hard-working Americans losing their good jobs during one of the most economically challenging times in our country’s history,” IAMAW President Robert Martinez wrote.

WILMINGTON, DELAWARE - AUGUST 20: Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden delivers his acceptance speech on the fourth night of the Democratic National Convention from the Chase Center on August 20, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware. The convention, which was once expected to draw 50,000 people to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is now taking place virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

(Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Biden has postured himself as being extremely pro-union, often expressing how much he would like to create more union jobs. Yet, Biden’s order rings similar to the Obama administration’s 2016 initiative where the Justice Department threatened to do the same if prison inmate populations were not drastically reduced.