Court: Pay cuts for prison workers properly handled

LANSING (AP) — The Michigan Court of Appeals has ruled that pay cuts for Michigan Department of Corrections workers five years ago were properly handled.

The Lansing State Journal reports a three-judge panel recently sided with the departmen, overturning an Ingham County judge's 2016 ruling that the employees should be restored to the higher pay.
The Michigan Corrections Organization union told its members in a newsletter it's reviewing the decision.

The case began in 2012, when the department essentially downgraded nearly 2,500 positions, cutting pay for affected workers between 59 cents and $1.48 per hour. The union argued employees performed specialized work and deserved the higher pay.

A Corrections Department spokesman told the newspaper the position changes saved about $12 million a year.