A US federal judge has ordered the Bureau of Prisons to reinstate its collective bargaining agreement with the agency’s employees’ union after the contract was abruptly terminated by the bureau’s director.
Judge Vernon Oliver of the US District Court for the District of Connecticut issued a preliminary injunction on Tuesday in favour of the National Council of Prison Locals, which had challenged the decision to end the agreement.
The dispute began after Bureau of Prisons Director William Marshall terminated the union agreement on September 25, 2025, arguing that the union had become an impediment to changes within the agency.
The ruling comes amid wider efforts by the Trump administration to reduce the role of unions across several federal agencies.
In March 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order seeking to remove collective bargaining rights from federal offices involved in national security and intelligence activities. The order also covered the Justice Department, which oversees the Bureau of Prisons.
Despite the order, the Bureau of Prisons largely maintained its collective bargaining agreement with the union for about six months.
The National Council of Prison Locals, which is affiliated with the American Federation of Government Employees, represents about 30,000 federal prison employees across the United States.
In his ruling, Oliver pointed to statements made by Marshall when he terminated the agreement, saying they indicated the decision may have been motivated by considerations beyond national security.
In a statement published on the Bureau of Prisons website, Marshall said the National Council of Prison Locals was not the “kind of union” he supported and claimed the agreement “has too often slowed or prevented changes.”
Oliver clarified that his ruling was not addressing the broader legal challenge to Trump’s executive order.
“This case does not concern the validity of EO-14,251 — that litigation is ongoing elsewhere throughout the nation,” Oliver wrote. “Rather, the immediate issue before the court is whether, as alleged, BOP’s decision to terminate the CBA violated the Administrative Procedure Act.”
The judge said the union had satisfied the legal requirement of showing that it was likely to succeed in its challenge.
As part of the injunction, Oliver ordered the Bureau of Prisons to immediately restore the agreement for the remainder of its existing term.
“Defendants shall immediately reinstate the CBA for the remainder of the agreed-upon term provided in the CBA and shall be governed by the terms of the agreement,” the judge added.
Brandy White, president of CPL-33, welcomed the decision in a message to union members but warned that the Justice Department could seek to have the order suspended while the case continues.
“We should have more information regarding that tomorrow,” she wrote.
“This is an important step, but our fight is not over,” she added.
The Bureau of Prisons and the union most recently agreed to an updated collective bargaining agreement in November 2024. The agreement is scheduled to remain in effect until May 2029.
