New U.P. Corrections Officers Graduate as MDOC Calls for Union to Create Pay Equity

Lansing, MI - Today, 27 corrections officer recruits graduated from the Northern Region Training Academy and took their oath of office in service to the State of Michigan. A ceremony was held at the Lake Superior State University Arts Center in Sault Ste. Marie to celebrate the accomplishment of these newest Michigan correctional professionals.

The academy recruits will now transition to their respective Upper Peninsula facilities, five of which were recently designated as existing in a hard-to-recruit region of the state, allowing the department to implement an increased pay rate of approximately $10,000 per year for future recruits hired to the facilities. The class graduating today will not receive the new pay rate because they were employed before the increase was implemented, but it is the department's intent that all officers working in the newly designated facilities will make at least $28.24 per hour, which is the starting wage that will be offered to new recruits starting with the next academy.

The Michigan Corrections Organization, the union representing currently employed state correctional officers, is able to sign a letter of agreement to increase the wages of current employees at the designated facilities, but on May 29, 2026 the department was notified by the union that they would not support the increase. Impacted officers include those working for less than 2 years at Marquette Branch Prison, Baraga Correctional Facility, Alger Correctional Facility, Kinross Correctional Facility, and Chippewa Correctional Facility.

Per state Civil Service Rules, the department was able to instate the pay increase by working to get a designation that deemed the five Upper Peninsula facilities as areas where it is difficult to recruit, allowing for new recruits to receive the increased wage. The increase is expected to not only help recruit new officers but also retain current officers by decreasing the amount of mandatory overtime, allowing for better work/life balance, and creating safer facilities. The department will be monitoring the impact of the pay raise on incoming recruiting classes and determining if the rate can be expanded to other hard-to-recruit facilities.

"First and foremost, I want to congratulate the 27 new corrections officers in the John Ocweija class in the Northern Region. I sincerely appreciate the commitment, willingness to learn, and teamwork they have shown as they have trained at the academy. I know they will be incredible assets to their facilities," said Director Heidi E. Washington. "I also want to recognize the department's latest effort to improve recruitment and retention by increasing pay of the next graduating classes at these designated U.P. facilities. This is one tool the department will be piloting to incentivize new recruits to join the department, and while it is not our only response to solve our staffing challenges, it is an important initiative to support these facilities and our staff in the Upper Peninsula. We urge the union to also assist their newest members at these five facilities as soon as possible by agreeing to raise all officers to a wage of at least $28.24 per hour. Doing so is in the best interest of those they represent, their families, and the facilities where these officers work."

The Michigan Department of Corrections has made substantial investments of time, funding, and personnel resources to strengthen recruitment and retention of officers, healthcare staff, and other critical correctional positions across the state. The department has streamlined hiring processes, expanded academy capacity, developed targeted advertising campaigns, enhanced community engagement, introduced employee referrals, improved training opportunities, closed housing units, deployed volunteer staffing missions, and more. These efforts, along with the new pay increase for designated facilities, represent an ongoing coordinated, statewide strategy that is continuously being strengthened to improve staffing levels and create safer facilities.

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