Correction officers in New York’s prison system have been on strike for nearly two weeks, and a tentative agreement appears to have been reached.
New York officials have reached an agreement to end a two-week unsanctioned strike by correctional officers over Democrat-backed prison reforms that they say have made conditions “unsafe,” but a GOP lawmaker argued the deal fails to address “the basics of what people are angry about.”
“The things that they’re most upset about are things that are the subject of legislation,” Republican state Sen. Daniel Stec told Fox News Digital in an interview Friday.
The mediated deal was reached late Thursday between the New York State Correctional Officers, the government-affiliated corrections officers union, Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA) and the state’s Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS).
However, since some 15,000 correction workers have been on a “wildcat strike,” they were not present during negotiations, and a spokesperson for the striking workers told CBS the deal does not go far enough.
“The issues have always been there,” Stec said. “Officer safety mandated overtime, some of these guys are working so much overtime that they’re never home, and it’s thrust upon them. On top of that, during the nature of their job, they’re working, sometimes they are forced to work 24 or more hours consecutively.”
At issue is a piece of prison reform legislation, the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement Act (HALT), that strikers want repealed. The law restricts solitary confinement and instead focuses on other rehabilitation methods, but since it went into effect in 2022, GOP lawmakers, citing department stats, say it has led to a 169% increase in inmate-on-inmate assaults, a 76% increase in inmate-on-staff assaults and a 32% jump in contraband cases.
Stec said “it’s not safe for the officers, it’s not safe inside for anybody” and said “this has been pointed out to the administration time and time again since before they put HALT into effect.”
One mom of a corrections officer told Fox News Digital on Friday, “These are things that our governor doesn’t care about.”
“She doesn’t care, she cares about the inmates and their rights,” she said. “[The deal] is a slap in every officer’s face.”
Upon the released agreement, Gov. Kathy Hochul said in part, “My top priority is the safety of all New Yorkers, and for the past 11 days, I have deployed every possible State resource to protect the well-being of correction officers, the incarcerated population and local communities across New York.”
“Working with a mediator, we have reached a consent award to address many of the concerns raised by correction officers, put DOCCS back on the path to safe operations, respect the rights of incarcerated individuals and prevent future unsanctioned work stoppages,” she said.
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In a letter alongside the agreement, Mediator Martin F. Scheinman proposed a binding “Consent Award” that would formalize agreements reached in mediation and be enforceable by court order. He noted the enforcement of such an agreement is complicated by a temporary restraining order, which renders judicial enforcement difficult while the strike continues. He said the Consent Award will only be signed once the court order is complied with.
“I will not issue a CONSENT AWARD I believe will be unenforceable judicially,” Scheinman wrote.
The mediation agreement temporarily suspends key provisions of the HALT Act for 90 days, with a review by the DOCCS commissioner after 30 days to determine if the suspension should continue. Following the suspension, a “circuit breaker” staffing metric will be implemented to prevent mandatory 24-hour overtime shifts, requiring facility adjustments if staffing falls below 70%.
The agreement also says protesting officers will be shielded from disciplinary action if they return to work by March 1, but those involved in illegal activities will face penalties. Other provisions include pay increases, referral bonuses, mental health support and security screening to curtail drugs in the prison mail system.
Additionally, the National Guard – which Hochul requested after thousands of officers did not show up to work – will remain onsite.
Stec said corrections officers see the deal as something the state is seeking to “shovel money at.”
“In reading the agreement, there’s a lot of discussion in there about overtime and money, and people are always going to talk about money, but the impetus to this has always been about their safety,” he said.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, a NYSCOPBA spokesperson said, “The Consent Agreement provides what concessions DOCCS has made in relation to members demands. HALT, unfortunately cannot be repealed without legislation from the senate and assembly.”
“NYSCOPBA has encouraged all members to return to work and it will continue to work towards addressing all of their concerns,” the spokesperson said.
Beginning on Feb. 17, two officers from the New York Department of Corrections began striking over “unsafe” conditions in their facilities, and support quickly cascaded across 38 of the state’s 42 prisons, leading to thousands of workers participating in the strike without union approval, which is prohibited under New York law.
Days before the strike, officials at the Collins Correctional Facility in Erie County implemented a lockdown following an inmate uprising.
Hochul threatened legal action earlier this week against striking correctional officers, announcing during a press conference that proceedings have commenced against nearly 400 officers, with New York State Police serving restraining orders to 380 individuals. Hochul said officers remaining on strike are considered absent without leave (AWOL), resulting in the loss of state health benefits and legal representation previously provided by their union.
“They know they are in violation of the New York State Taylor law,” Hochul said during the press conferece. “They are also in violation of a temporary restraining order to return to work. We offered an amnesty period where they could go back to work, no questions asked.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Hochul’s office for comment.
