Rhode Island Council 94 v. State, 96-0307 (1996)

DECISION

There is a prison in Rhode Island called the Adult Correctional Institution, or the ACI for short. Some of the prisoners in the ACI have prison jobs. Some work at jobs in the private economy on work release. Others work for various agencies or departments of the State, the defendant in this case, outside the prison. It is this last group which is the subject of this case.

These prisoners who have jobs in the various agencies and departments of state government sometimes do work which is usually done by state workers. These state workers are represented by a collective bargaining…