Guardsmen will ensure safety in the facilities with tasks such as distributing meals and medications.
NEW YORK—Visitation to all New York state prisons has been halted, and more than 3,500 National Guardsmen have been deployed to fill in for correction officers who are on strike.
Since Feb. 17, the number of prisons with strikes has grown from two to around 30 of the 42 state prisons, according to officials from the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association Inc. (NYSCOPBA).
The state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) issued a
statement on Feb. 20 announcing that all visitation at all DOCCS facilities has been canceled until further notice.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a
statement on Feb. 19 saying that she had signed an executive order activating members of the New York National Guard to help run the prisons, as well as giving additional overtime compensation to facility staff who remain on the job. She said guardsmen will ensure safety in the facilities and carry out tasks such as distributing meals and medications.
More than 3,500 guardsmen were deployed on Feb. 19 as an advance crew to determine what the National Guard will need to do in the facilities. More are expected soon.
“In an effort to resolve this illegal work stoppage I have directed the appointment of highly respected independent mediator Martin Scheinman who will begin work immediately to return striking correction officers back to work,” Hochul said. “I am confident we will resolve this illegal strike.”
On Feb. 19, a New York court filed an injunction that stated the strike is illegal, and demanded that it stop. Under a section of state civil service
law known as Taylor Law, it’s illegal for government workers to strike. Penalties include losing two days of pay for every day on strike, and the state can seek legal action against any who break the law.
The strikers are demanding higher pay, stricter security checks for prison visitors, and a rollback on prison reforms, especially the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement (HALT) Act.
The
HALT Act limits solitary confinement to a max of 15 days and promotes more rehabilitative disciplinary actions.
Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) said the strikes are the result of years of bad policies.
“For years, Correctional Officers (COs) have raised serious concerns about unsafe working conditions caused by severe staffing shortages and pro-criminal policies pushed by Governor Kathy Hochul and Albany Democrats,” Tenney said in a
statement. “Assaults on COs have nearly doubled, and they are routinely forced to work double and even triple shifts.
Tenney said Hochul and prison authorities “recently instructed prison superintendents to treat just 70 percent of staffing capacity as ‘full staffing.’ ... This situation is at a boiling point, and sending in the National Guard will only make this situation more dangerous.”
Many strikers in sub-freezing temperatures held signs with messages such as: “NO 70%-30%, Safety first,” “Stop 24+ Hour Mandates!” and “Treacherous Staff Shortages.”
DOCCS said in a Feb. 17
statement to multiple outlets: “The job actions initiated by some rogue NYSCOPBA members, at Collins and Elmira Correctional Facilities this morning are illegal and unlawful. We are committed to engaging the union in order to return staff to work and resume normal operations.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
