DOCCS: Agreement reached, correction officers to return Monday
DOCCS released a 'Memorandum of Agreement,' which has been signed by DOCCS commissioner Daniel Martuscello and NYSCOPBA president Chris Summers.
The agreement came on the 20th day of the wildcat strike, which had not been officially sanctioned by the union. It will go into effect if at least 85 percent of the state's correction officers return to work.
Under the agreement, DOCCS will rescind probationary terminations that were issued to striking employees, as well as reinstate any employee who resigned. New York State will reinstate health insurance effective immediately to employees who had their health insurance terminated. DOCCS will also not pursue Taylor Law proceedings against officers who were on strike if they return to work on Monday.
The strike began on Feb. 17 with correction officers seeking changes to working conditions. Those requests included limits to overtime and a reversal of the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement (HALT) Act. A mediator was brought in on Feb. 21, and a tentative deal had previously been reached on Feb. 27 — but several correction officers remained on strike following that tentative agreement.
The agreement states that the HALT Act will remain suspended on a temporary basis, and that Martuscello will 'begin to evaluate the operations, safety, and security of our facilities relative to staffing levels and determine whether re-instituting the suspended elements of HALT would create an unreasonable risk to the safety and security of the incarcerated individuals and staff.' Both sides will continue to 'work towards eliminating anyone working 24-hour mandatory overtime.'
Both sides also agreed to establish a committee to examine staffing across facilities, as well as potential 'operational inefficiencies with the goal of providing more relief to existing staff.'
The National Guard will remain at facilities on a temporary basis, and National Guard members 'will be used to help prevent an employee from being mandated to work a 24-hour overtime shift.'
The full Memorandum of Agreement can be viewed below.
Memorandum-of-AgreementDownload
***
Mark Ludwiczak joined the News 4 team in 2024. He is a veteran journalist with two decades of experience in Buffalo. You can follow him online at @marklud12.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
President Trump ramps up takeover of Washington's police department. Here's what to know.
Why is Trump taking over the police in DC? The Republican president this week announced he's taking control over Washington's police department and activating National Guard troops to reduce crime, an escalation of his aggressive approach to law enforcement. But District of Columbia officials say the action isn't needed, pointing out that violent crime in the district reached historic 30-year lows last year and is down significantly again this year. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Can he do that? Advertisement D.C.'s status as a congressionally established federal district gives Trump a window to assert more control over the the district than other cities. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser didn't offer much resistance at first, allowing city workers to clear homeless encampments and work closely with federal immigration agents. But on Friday, the heavily Democratic district asked for an emergency court order blocking Trump officials from putting a federal official in charge of D.C. police. So who is in charge of police in Washington? Right now, it's unsettled. Trump's administration announced Thursday that the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration will take over the police chief's duties, including authority over orders issued to officers. It's unclear where the move leaves the city's current police chief, Pamela Smith, who works for the mayor. Smith says upending the command structure would be a 'dangerous' threat to law and order. Advertisement What's at stake The showdown in Washington is the latest attempt by Trump to test the boundaries of his legal authority to carry out his tough-on-crime agenda, relying on obscure statutes and a supposed state of emergency to speed up the mass deportation of people in the United States illegally. What are the federal troops doing in DC? About 800 National Guard troops are being activated, with Humvees parked along the Washington Monument and near Union Station. Troops have been spotted standing outside baseball's Nationals Park and neighborhood restaurants. The White House says guard members aren't making arrests but are protecting law enforcement officers who are making arrests and helping deter violent crime. Trump says one of the objectives will be moving homeless people far from the city. How long can this go on? Trump has the authority to do this for 30 days and says he might look into extending it. But that would require congressional approval. Whether Republicans in Congress would go along with that is unclear. Some D.C. residents have protested against the increased police presence. For some, the action echoes uncomfortable historical chapters when politicians used language to paint predominantly Black cities with racist narratives to shape public opinion and justify police action. Will Trump try to take control in other US cities? Washington is very different from any other American city, and the rules that govern it give the federal government much more control than it would have anywhere else. Whether Trump is using this as a blueprint for how to approach cities — largely Democratic cities — that he wants to exert more control over remains to be seen. Advertisement
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Trump Rails About Youth Crime, a Focus of D.C. Leaders for Decades
The arrest of two 15-year-olds after a government worker was attacked last week on a Washington, D.C., street was going to attract attention in a city where violent crimes committed by young people have long gripped the public consciousness. But the man who was assaulted in what he said was an attempted carjacking was not just any government worker — he was a high-profile Trump administration employee. And in the days that followed, the president lashed out, claiming the city was overrun by 'roving mobs of wild youth' and renewing his threats to take over the city. On Monday, Mr. Trump announced he was placing the District of Columbia's police department under federal control and sending in the National Guard, as he and his top prosecutor for the city declared they were fed up with what they say is rampant lawlessness among young people in the city. 'I see too much violent crime being committed by young punks who think that they can get together in gangs and crews and beat the hell out of you or anyone else,' said Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. Crime committed by teenagers has for decades been a focus of the city's leaders — and often a point of political tension. Calls to take a tougher line on juvenile crime run up against efforts to address the extreme poverty and other entrenched socioeconomic problems that many experts say underlie youth crime. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
San Francisco Chronicle
2 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
President Trump ramps up takeover of Washington's police department. Here's what to know
Federal troops are patrolling the National Mall and neighborhoods across Washington in President Donald Trump's extraordinary takeover of the police department in the nation's capital. Now the Trump administration is moving to install its own emergency police commissioner, a big step forward in one of the most sweeping uses of federal authority over a local government in modern times. While Washington went to court on Friday to block Trump's takeover, how it will play out and whether the federal government views this as a potential blueprint for dealing with other cities remains up in the air. Here's what to know about the situation and what might come next: Why is Trump taking over the police in DC? The Republican president this week announced he's taking control over Washington's police department and activating National Guard troops to reduce crime, an escalation of his aggressive approach to law enforcement. But District of Columbia officials say the action isn't needed, pointing out that violent crime in the district reached historic 30-year lows last year and is down significantly again this year. Can he do that? D.C.'s status as a congressionally established federal district gives Trump a window to assert more control over the the district than other cities. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser didn't offer much resistance at first, allowing city workers to clear homeless encampments and work closely with federal immigration agents. But on Friday, the heavily Democratic district asked for an emergency court order blocking Trump officials from putting a federal official in charge of D.C. police. So who is in charge of police in Washington? Right now, it's unsettled. Trump's administration announced Thursday that the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration will take over the police chief's duties, including authority over orders issued to officers. It's unclear where the move leaves the city's current police chief, Pamela Smith, who works for the mayor. Smith says upending the command structure would be a 'dangerous' threat to law and order. What's at stake The showdown in Washington is the latest attempt by Trump to test the boundaries of his legal authority to carry out his tough-on-crime agenda, relying on obscure statutes and a supposed state of emergency to speed up the mass deportation of people in the United States illegally. What are the federal troops doing in DC? About 800 National Guard troops are being activated, with Humvees parked along the Washington Monument and near Union Station. Troops have been spotted standing outside baseball's Nationals Park and neighborhood restaurants. The White House says guard members aren't making arrests but are protecting law enforcement officers who are making arrests and helping deter violent crime. Trump says one of the objectives will be moving homeless people far from the city. How long can this go on? Trump has the authority to do this for 30 days and says he might look into extending it. But that would require congressional approval. Whether Republicans in Congress would go along with that is unclear. Some D.C. residents have protested against the increased police presence. For some, the action echoes uncomfortable historical chapters when politicians used language to paint predominantly Black cities with racist narratives to shape public opinion and justify police action. Washington is very different from any other American city, and the rules that govern it give the federal government much more control than it would have anywhere else. Whether Trump is using this as a blueprint for how to approach cities — largely Democratic cities — that he wants to exert more control over remains to be seen.
