The American Federation of Government Employees, which is the exclusive union representative of federal correctional officers and staff, is calling for the removal of an agency manager who is alleged to have physically assaulted the local union president at Federal Correctional Complex Coleman in central Florida.
AFGE Local 506 President Jose Rojas suffered a broken clavicle on Monday after allegedly being pushed into steel plate doors in the lobby of the prison, which is located near The Villages.
Rojas was transported by ambulance on a stretcher to an area hospital for injuries sustained to his head and back from the alleged assault. The manager in question is alleged to have pushed Rojas from behind, after first engaging him in a verbal dispute and making threatening statements.
“Physical or verbal assaults against employees cannot be tolerated – ever,” AFGE National President Everett Kelley said. “Allegations like these demand swift investigation and action. Any manager who commits such an egregious attack against a federal employee, a sworn law enforcement officer, and a local union leader must face immediate termination and prosecution.”
“Violence in our highest security prisons can erupt unexpectedly, but it is especially intolerable when a non-bargaining employee attacks a staff member – most disturbingly a union leader representing their members,” said Shane Fausey, national president of AFGE Council 33, the Council of Prison Locals. “The perpetrator of such an outrageous attack should be removed from their position, and we will provide any assistance necessary from the council to ensure that justice is done in this matter.”
Last month in an unrelated incident, an inmate was indicted for murdering his cellmate at Coleman.
Earlier this year, a mob hitman walked away from a halfway house at the Coleman federal prison complex. He was recaptured about 300 miles away.
