As an officer with the Council of Prison Locals, Josh Kostelnik represents federal prison employees across a wide swath of the western United States that encompass 20 correctional facilities. The Council is part of the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union of federal workers, and within the union it has two distinct characteristics. Prison workers are the most organized, with 90% of the members electing to pay dues. And they lean conservative.
“Half of my board and many local presidents supported Trump,” said Kostelnik. “We’re law enforcement, after all. That’s why so many have reached out to me with buyer’s remorse. They did not anticipate a full-blown attack against us.”
