Union members rally for Shuman detention center
Members of the Service Employees International Union Local 668 gathered outside the Shuman Juvenile Detention Center on Tuesday afternoon to ask the county to appeal the state’s revocation of the facility’s operating license rather than close the center for good.
“The workers here have fought for decades now to try and improve the conditions here at Shuman Center,” SEIU Business Agent Al Smith said. “We’re hoping that today that we can get the message out — not only to the public but to the county — that these workers deserve a chance to be able to continue their careers here at Shuman Center.”
The center, in Lincoln-Lemington, had its operating license revoked by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services on Friday. Instead of appealing the decision, the county announced Monday the center would close.
“The licensing at the facility has been an ongoing issue,” county Manager William McKain said in a
news release Monday. “Over the last six years, we have put additional resources into the facility, supported new leadership and efforts by the professionals running the center, and continued to work with the Courts and the state on alternatives. Yet, we continued to see violations that were only exacerbated during the pandemic with staffing challenges.”
Mr. Smith said the union and the county have met and are in communication and are working out “every scenario possible,” whether that be appealing the state’s decision or relocating the staff to other facilities.
“We were blindsided by the fact that the license was revoked. Even though we understand their position, we don’t agree with it. At this particular point, the county has made it clear that they are not going to appeal,” he added.
The union represents about 90 employees at the facility, which includes supervisors and youth care workers.
Stan Drummond, a youth care worker at the facility, has been there 31 years and said he felt like the county “let us down.”
“I’m definitely disappointed in the county,” he said. “We’ve got some good employees here; it seems like they let us down. They didn’t back us.”
In the announcement of the closure from the county, county Executive Rich Fitzgerald said “ultimately, this is the best decision” for the taxpayers and youth served by the center.
The state pulled the facility’s license for “continued failure to follow regulations and a failure to improve on past violations,” said Erin James, press secretary for DHS.
“In any facility … that cares for individuals, there’s always going to be infractions,” Mr. Smith said. “Shuman Center reacted to those; the folks here were probably disciplined correctly, and the county and the union were satisfied with those results.”
Rosemary Gaines, an employee at Shuman for about 24 years, said in her time at the center, there have been four different directors, and that’s what the county should focus on.
“The county needs to look at the turnover with administration,” she said. “I think that’s where some of the problems stem from.”
Other community members criticized the county’s decision in the hours after the announcement was made.
County Controller Chelsea Wagner, who serves on the center’s advisory board, said in an emailed statement she was “deeply concerned” the closure of Shuman may lead to more juveniles placed in the county jail while they await adjudication, which she said “would be dangerous for many reasons,” particularly during a pandemic.
“Removing youth placed in our care from the county is a decision of great consequence
“We were blindsided by the fact that the license was revoked. Even though we understand their position, we don’t agree with it.” — SEIU Business Agent Al Smith
that deserved due input and consideration, as is summarily letting go dozens of extremely dedicated workers,” she said in the statement.
Mr. Drummond echoed that statement Tuesday afternoon, saying the employees were “there for the kids.”
“Now, we don’t know where the kids are going to go,” he said.
Bethany Hallam, a County Council member and member of the Jail Oversight Board, said in a statement Monday evening on Twitter she was displeased with the planned closure.
“Today the administration demonstrated a disregard for both the children housed at the Shuman facility and the union employees who work there,” her statement read in part. “In addition to the impacts on children, we must also consider the impact on at least 60 union employees who were disrespectfully notified of their termination in the news. This is yet another example of incompetence and callousness by our administration.”
She went on to say, “at a minimum,” Shuman employees should be transferred to other departments within county administration.
The county has until Aug. 30 to appeal the state’s decision, according to documents from DHS.