Cumberland County has asked the state’s labor relations board to dismiss a complaint filed by corrections officers that alleges a federal contract to house more inmates has added unfair pressure to an already overworked staff.

The complaint was filed last month with the Maine Labor Relations Board, which governs the collective bargaining of public employees. The National Correctional Employees Union, which represents most of Cumberland County Jail’s workers, alleged that when the county renewed its lucrative agreement with the U.S. Marshals Service to house federal inmates, it unilaterally changed the conditions of employment without consulting the union.

But in its response filed last week, the county said the contract with the marshals service is a long-standing practice at the jail and that the union’s allegations aren’t strong enough to warrant the board’s intervention.

The dispute is now awaiting review by board Executive Director Neil Daly. While there is no specific timeline for when Daly must make a decision, he said in a phone call Monday afternoon that he would likely decide within the next two weeks. If he determines the complaint is sufficient and has “actionable claims,” he will schedule a hearing. But any final decisions are up to the board, he said.

The marshals service pulled its contract with the jail in September 2022 because of staffing shortages. Later that month, Joyce closed the jail to most prisoner intake because of those shortages. When the jail resumed its contract with the marshals in July, 14 inmates from the U.S. Marshals Service and 11 from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement were brought to the facility.

Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce has said the contract is a crucial source of funding for the jail. He said in an interview this month that keeping inmate numbers low would be ideal for his staff, but that the contract renewal will help balance the budget, which is almost $1 million in deficit, by June 2025.

The federal government is now paying the jail $150 per inmate per day, a $20 increase from the former agreement signed in 2010, County Manager James Gailey said at the Cumberland County Commissioners meeting in April, when the five elected members voted to approve the contract.

The Cumberland County Jail is expected to spend $20.9 million this budget year, according to the county’s budget. Almost $16 million of that will be funded through taxes, while the state will cover about $3 million and the federal contract is estimated to bring in $1.7 million.

Corrections officers say they still feel the effects of staffing shortages and are being forced to work overtime, according to the union’s executive director, Bill Doyle. Because of that, he said, the decision to bring the federal inmates back violates the collective bargaining agreement, and the union is asking the jail to rescind its contract and bargain in good faith. The union is already putting pressure on Joyce and has filed a separate complaint to have him removed from office.

The union’s latest complaint also alleged that the county violated Maine law by not responding in a timely manner to its request to begin negotiations. Giovanna Peruzzi, the union’s labor representative, said she did not hear back until 15 working days after her early June request. The law requires a response within 10 days, “as long as the parties have not otherwise agreed in a prior written contract.”

Cumberland County argues that the union specifically asked to meet in late July or early August and that the county’s mid-July response was timely.

“This allegation is moot as the parties are actively working to schedule time to meet to commence negotiations of a successor contract and there is no active controversy as to this allegation,” the county’s motion reads.