ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Members of AFSCME Local 543 (Council 13) at Lehigh County Jail secured a major victory in early May with the implementation of paid parental leave for county employees. It’s a big change that will help improve recruitment, retention and workplace morale in a correctional system facing ongoing staffing shortages.
Across correctional facilities in Pennsylvania and nationwide, prisons and jails have struggled in recent years to fill vacancies and retain experienced staff. At Lehigh County Prison, members say chronic shortages have led to increased workloads, exhaustion and mandatory overtime for correctional officers and support staff.
For years, members of Local 543 have pushed county leaders to take action. They regularly attended county commission meetings and advocated for policies that would make Lehigh County safer by ensuring corrections is a more attractive place to work and build a career.
Local 543 President Jennifer Newell said union members have remained engaged throughout the process and closely followed how county leaders responded to concerns raised by AFSCME workers.
“The members of our local have been attending commissioner meetings for quite some time now, and we have been paying close attention to the commissioners’ and the county executive's responses to the shortages that our prison has faced since the pandemic in 2020,” said Newell.
“In a job that can be stressful and difficult to balance a healthy work/family life, we appreciate (County) Executive (Josh) Siegel's decision to offer paid parental leave to those new parents among our ranks who might otherwise have to make the difficult choice between expanding their families or maintaining their employment with the County of Lehigh.”
Newell said the new benefit will help the county recruit workers who are looking for long-term careers while also improving conditions for current employees.
“We look forward to attracting employees who choose to stay with the county thanks to benefits such as this, which will effectively improve morale and ultimately decrease mandatory overtime hours,” she said.
For Local 543 members, the victory represents more than a new benefit: It is proof that workers speaking up together can win meaningful improvements that strengthen both their workplaces and the public services they provide every day.