Lawmakers hear push to make DOC industrial instructors permanent staff

Supporters urged the Joint Committee on Public Service on Wednesday to back House Bill 28‑59, which would establish a path to permanent employment for industrial instructors who maintain Massachusetts Department of Correction facilities. Kevin Flanagan, legislative representative for the Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union, told the committee the issue stems from civil‑service testing that the union says has not been administered for about 16 years. The bill would allow industrial instructors who have worked full time and who hold specialized trade skills to obtain permanent status rather than remain in provisional appointments, advocates said. "I'm here in strong support of House Bill 28‑59," Flanagan said, adding that "more than 1,000 industrial instructors have remained in provisional status despite many having served faithfully and full time for well over a decade." He said the department's jobs have become specialized in ways that a single civil‑service exam cannot fairly evaluate. Proponents framed the change as a personnel and equity fix, not a pay increase. They asked the committee to report the bill favorably. Committee members asked no substantive questions during the testimony. The panel did not take a vote on the bill at the hearing. The testimony made several factual points: the union said it represents about 3,000 state and county correctional employees; it also said roughly 16 years have passed since a relevant civil‑service industrial‑instructor exam was last administered and that more than 1,000 instructors remain provisional. The bill's text and any implementing regulations were not discussed in detail during the hearing. Committee staff and members did not indicate a formal action beyond receiving testimony.