Judge Orders Bureau Of Prisons To Reinstate Union Contract Nationwide
On September 29, 2026, a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction ordering the Bureau of Prisons to reinstate its nationwide collective bargaining agreement with the National Council of Prison Locals.[1]
Judge Vernon Oliver found the union likely to succeed on its Administrative Procedure Act claim and barred the bureau from operating without the contract while the case proceeds.[1] The contract was last revised in November 2024, runs through May 2029 and covers roughly 30,000 federal prison workers.[1]
Bureau of Prisons Director William Marshall terminated the contract on September 25, 2025, calling the union an "obstacle to progress." CBS News Oliver emphasized that his order does not resolve the validity of former President Donald Trump's March 2025 executive order that excluded national-security topics from bargaining.[1]
The injunction restores contract terms nationwide while litigation continues, preserving pay, staffing and work-rule provisions for the roughly 30,000 covered workers.
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📌 Key Facts
- On September 29, 2026, Judge Vernon Oliver granted a preliminary injunction ordering the Bureau of Prisons to reinstate its collective bargaining agreement with the National Council of Prison Locals.
- Bureau of Prisons Director William Marshall had terminated the CBA on September 25, 2025, citing the union as an 'obstacle to progress.'
- The union contract, last revised in November 2024, runs through May 2029 and covers roughly 30,000 federal prison workers.
- Oliver found the union likely to succeed on its Administrative Procedure Act claim and emphasized that the case does not decide the validity of Trump’s March 2025 executive order on national-security bargaining exclusions.
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