New York lawmakers blast Hochul, demand she rescinds 'non-hiring' order
ELMIRA, N.Y. (WETM) – New York State Lawmakers that represent a large part of the Twin Tiers where state correctional facilities are located are firing back at Governor Kathy Hochul's proclamation issued on March 11 that bars all fired Correctional Officers from future state employment.
18 News asked Assemblymen Phil Palmesano and Christoper Friend, along with State Senator Tom O'Mara, for their thoughts on the Governor's order. All were direct and agreed that the Governor abused her authority.
DOCCS starts firing striking correction officers
Assemblyman Palmesano, who represents New York's 132nd Assembly District, wrote:
'You think Gov Hochul should have learned from her predecessor who abused his executive authority during COVID.
'The governor could have used her executive authority to declare a staffing and safety crisis inside our correctional facilities and actually suspended the dangerous HALT Act to protect the safety of Correction Officers (COs) and inmates alike inside our prisons.
'Instead, she is grossly abusing her executive authority to extract retribution and just further hurt our COs even more by trying to devastate any potential future employment opportunities they may have. Shame on her. She should rescind this now.'
Assemblyman Friend, who represents New York's 124th Assembly District, agreed. He wrote:
'Gov. Hochul's Executive Order No. 47.3, which declares a disaster emergency andunjustly prohibits terminated Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS)employees from being hired by other state, county or local government agencies, is a blatantabuse of executive authority.
DOCCS will terminate health insurance for 'AWOL' correction officers
'This directive is a direct violation of civil service protections and an outrageous overstepinto municipal hiring decisions. It is completely hypocritical that the same state governmentpushing 'second chances' through the Clean Slate Act, allowing convicted felons to have theirrecords sealed for employment, would turn around and impose a career-ending restriction onlaw-abiding public servants. Denying experienced DOCCS employees the ability to continueserving their communities is not only unfair but also reckless, especially when so many localgovernments and public safety agencies are already struggling with staffing shortages.
'Executive orders like this are temporary, lasting only 30 days unless the governor movesto enshrine them into law. These short-lived, politically motivated maneuvers should never beused to strip workers of their rights or hinder local governments from hiring qualified personnel.'I strongly oppose this executive order and call on Gov. Hochul to reverse courseimmediately. The state should be supporting those who dedicate their careers to public service,not punishing them for political expediency. Leadership means protecting and respecting ourworkforce, not abandoning them to serve a misguided agenda.'
And State Senator Tom O'Mara, who represents New York's 58th State Senate District, said 'Governor Hochul's Executive Order barring fired Corrections Officers from any employment within the New York State Retirement system demonstrates an astounding vindictiveness against former correctional officers and their families, and the communities where they have long lived and worked, that in the long run can only serve to continue this state's decline.'
DOCCS: Correction officer strike ends, over 2K fired
Governor Hochul's order bars terminated Correctional Officers from future employment inside the State of New York's public service system. It was issued following a bitter, three-week long, strike by officers who sought improvements in prison safety, but did not demand pay hikes. The strikers' union said it did not sanction the strike.
The State Corrections Department went around the union and ordered officers back to work or face termination. It then started sending health insurance cancellation notices to the strikers. Most went back to work but some 2000 stayed out, which resulted in their firings.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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