MAYVILLE — Although inmates have been a part of the workforce at Mayville Engineering Company in Mayville for at least five years, the Wisconsin State Employees Union AFSCME Council 24 claims that the jobs should be saved for unemployed citizens instead.

"MEC has been a part of the work release program with the state for over five years," Bob Kamphuis, chairman, president and CEO of MEC, said. "They're helping us and we're helping them. It allows the inmates to learn the trade and build their resume. It helps them to keep from going back to criminal activity after they're released."

Marty Biel, executive director of the Wisconsin State Employees Union AFSCME Council 24 said it's a sweet deal for an employer: workers are delivered to the workplace on time, drug free and in no position to stand up for themselves on any workplace issues of pay or safety. While in better times prisoner work programs might play a positive role in rehabilitation, in tough times they mean convicted criminals are taking good jobs away from law-abiding citizens with families to support.

"In these times, law abiding citizens should be first in line to bring home a salary to their families," Beil said. "Criminals shouldn't be padding their own accounts while living at the expense of the state."

According to Beil, one inmate has amassed more than $90,000 in his prison bank account while working at MEC.

"The state has no business subsidizing a practice that is taking good jobs away from law-abiding citizens," Beil said.

Biel said he never personally contacted MEC representatives and instead contacted the corrections department and got the information about MEC from them.

"I don't understand why they're attacking MEC," Kamphuis said. "We've been employee-owned for over 50 years. I don't know what they're looking for by smudging our company name."

Kamphuis said the statements made by Beil in the press release were inflammatory, inaccurate and ridiculous.

"We are considering expansion," Kamphuis said. "If people attack our company in Wisconsin, maybe we'll look at going to other states to grow our business. This is what we get for trying to help the state."

MEC's Mayville facility has about 20 inmates working a variety of shifts. According to Kamphuis the positions vary in pay rates depending on the skill involved.

"We have been trying to get the department of corrections to deal with the issue for the last two months," Biel said. "There's a 10 percent unemployment rate in Dodge County. Laid off workers shouldn't have to commit a crime to be eligible for jobs at MEC or any employer."

dharris@capitalnewspapers.com