Labor leaders at the state’s second-largest prison said they were not consulted on the plan to shut it down. They argued at the Capitol that this will harm public safety and corrections operations throughout Minnesota.

The request from correctional staff and unions comes in response to a budget deal from Gov. Tim Walz and legislative leaders who propose closing the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Stillwater

While state officials said the move to close the facility addresses longstanding concerns of safety with the prison’s conditions and saves the state more than $40 million annually, union leaders