The employee of a food and uniform service company was arrested this week, after officials caught him trying to bring two big bags of marijuana into a Jackson state prison.
Representatives from the Department of Corrections told the Times Herald that prison officials notified Michigan State Police when they found the Aramark Correctional Services worker attempting to smuggle pot into the G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility in Jackson.
Spokesperson Russ Marlan told the Times Herald that the worker was arrested on the same day two state employee unions and a Republican senator pressed the Michigan Civil Service Commission to turn down a bid to privatize food distribution in the state's prisons.
According to the Times Herald, the state representatives and politician argued Aramark's contract has threatened safety levels in various jails since the corporation assumed its position as main distributor in December.
Aramark's three-year, reported $145 million contract with the department cut 370 government jobs, and is slated to save Michigan millions.
But the company has already encountered issues with security breaches - the department fined Aramark nearly $98,000 for reported shortages of food, regular menu substitutions, and hiring of staff members who knew some of the prisoners.
The Times Herald reported on Thursday that 36 Aramark workers were barred from returning to any state prisons for a host of infractions.
Legislative director of AFSCME Council 25 Nick Ciaramitaro told the Times Herald that the news wasn't shocking.
"None of this surprises me," he said. "[But] it surprises me how quickly the situation has deteriorated."
He also added that the company, which pays its employees roughly $10 to $11 an hour, is "scraping for people to take these jobs."
Philadelphia-based Aramark was recently named one of World's Most Ethical Companies in a recent survey conducted by The Ethisphere Institute, Philly.com reported.