Latest news with #NewYorkStateCorrectionOfficerPoliceBenevolentAssociation
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
North Country COs join others in Albany rally
PLATTSBURGH — Hundreds of striking North Country correction officers joined hundreds more from across the state at a rally on the steps of the state capitol in Albany Tuesday demanding safer conditions inside state prisons. Officers began their wildcat strike, which is not sanctioned by their union, the New York State Correction Officer Police Benevolent Association, on Feb. 17 at prisons across the state. The officers are demanding more staffing to alleviate double and triple shifts, better measures to screen mail and visitors to keep troublesome contraband out, and a repeal of the Humane Alternatives to Long Term Incarceration Act, which strictly limits how long and which inmates can be sent to Special Housing Units. The state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision and NYSCOPBA representatives met last week for a series of mediation sessions and came up with an agreement, which called for a suspension of HALT for 90 days after which it will be examined, more screening and no discipline for striking officers. But the rank and file, which did not vote on the agreement, was not enthused with the offer. Some officers returned to work by the March 1 deadline imposed by the state, but hundreds remained on the picket lines outside prisons across the state including in Dannemora, Altona and Malone in the North Country. BUS CARAVAN After picketing outside prisons for more than two weeks, a caravan of buses filled with officers and supporters trekked to Albany for a show of solidarity Tuesday. Reports of 2,000 to 3,000 people were there. Assemblyman Billy Jones (D-Chateaugay Lake), a former correction officer himself, met with the striking officers who visited Albany. 'I remain committed, as I've always have been, to fighting for safe working and staffing conditions at correctional facilities,' Jones, who is also a co-sponsor on a bill to make changes to the HALT Act, said. 'My message has always been consistent, and I'll continue pushing the governor and DOCCS for much-needed facility updates to keep our workers safe... Two decades of my life have been spent behind the walls of our correctional facilities as a correction officer, so I know all too well the challenges facing officers, staff, and their families. Making sure our men and women who serve in our facilities can go to work and return home safely will always be a top priority to me.' Assemblyman Matt Simpson (R,C-Lake George) also took time to speak with officers. 'Our correctional officers put their lives on the line every day, yet Albany policies like the HALT Act have made their jobs even more dangerous. Assaults on officers have risen 76%, and inmate-on-inmate assaults rose 169%. Today's demonstration is proof the crisis can no longer be ignored,' Simpson said. 'I stand with these brave men and women in demanding action. We must repeal the HALT Act and restore the tools necessary to keep our correctional facilities safe,' Simpson continued. Simpson is sponsoring legislation in the Assembly to repeal HALT and protect those who work in and serve time in New York's prisons. 'It's time for Gov. Hochul to listen to the voices of our correctional officers and take real action before this crisis spirals further out of control,' Simpson said. On Monday, the state began terminating some officers who have been out of work since the strike began. Gov. Kathy Hochul did, however, use the State of Emergency designation to make body scanner use mandatory for visitors. SCANNERS State Sen. Dan Stec (R,C-Queensbury) said that was a good first step, but more needs to be done. 'On Jan. 30, I visited Upstate Correctional Facility (Malone) after an unknown chemical exposure and met with the superintendent, officers and civilian staff. During this meeting, I learned that body scanner use is optional for inmates and their visitors and on Feb. 4, I introduced Senate bill S.4422 to close this loophole and make body scanner use mandatory,' Stec said in a statement. 'After introducing this bill, I wrote to both Governor Hochul and Senate Majority Leader (Andrea) Stewart-Cousins, requesting this measure be included in the upcoming state budget. The main reason correction officers across the state are on strike is that they are forced to endure extraordinarily unsafe working conditions. Making body scanner use mandatory for inmates and visitors is a crucial step in the effort to make correctional facilities safer.' Stec said the governor and DOCCS' decision to make body scanners mandatory for visitors during the ongoing state of emergency is a welcome first step that he, officers and other advocates for prison safety have called for. 'But a temporary change in policy and executive order is exactly that, temporary and must go further,' he said. 'Mandatory use of body scanners for visitors and inmates must become a permanent change in policy and that requires a legislative resolution. I urge the governor and Legislative leaders to either pass my legislation concerning body scanners or include analogous language in this year's state budget. It's clear that the governor and DOCCS know that this is the right thing to do and given the fraught situation, immediate action on my legislation is more necessary than ever.'
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
State begins firing striking prison guards
PLATTSBURGH — Employment terminations for a 'handful' of striking correction officers began on Sunday, as the financial cost of the strike mounts. New York Department of Homeland Security Commissioner Jackie Bray, who was joined by New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Commissioner Daniel Martuscello III, told the media in a Zoom meeting Monday that less than 10 officers across the state have been terminated so far. 'These are officers who have been AWOL for 10 days in a row on their work days and then missed that 11th shift,' Bray said. 'That will continue to evolve over the next several days.' Bray said officers out on FMLA, worker's comp, or bereavement leave would be dealt with on a case-by-case basis and that anyone with a valid reason to remain out would not be penalized. Correction officers across the state have been striking at prisons since Feb. 17, advocating for safer working conditions, more staffing, and a repeal of the Humane Alternatives to Long Term Incarceration Act, which strictly limits the amount of time and which inmates can be sent to special housing units. Representatives from the state and the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision and the New York State Correction Officer Police Benevolent Association sat down for several sessions with a mediator recently and eventually came up with an agreement. The agreement or 'Consent Award' called for a suspension of HALT for 90 days and measures to limit required overtime shifts and to scan legal mail entering prisons. It also called for no discipline against the striking officers. The deal set Saturday, March 1 as the date for all striking officers to return to work. Those who didn't return risked termination, potential fines and possible arrest for violating a court order, according to a statement from the correction officer's union, the New York State Correction Officer Police Benevolent Association, last week. However, at Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora and other facilities statewide, the proposal wasn't good enough and many correction officers are continuing to strike amid the state's threats. Repealment of the HALT Act remains top priority for the correction officers and many have called on Gov. Kathy Hochul to use her executive powers in getting rid of it. 'I HAVE NO ABILITY TO CHANGE' Martuscello said he addressed HALT in the Consent Award but a full repeal is out of his hands. 'In terms of repealing the law or making specific changes on terms of what conduct constitutes being able to be placed in a special housing unit or restricted housing, those are things that I have no ability to change. That will require the legislature to do so,' he said Monday. 'In terms of the executive order. As you know, the legislature can override an executive order with 50% plus one. So therefore, there's really no change that we can immediately make to the HALT Act, other than to go to the legislature to make changes.' As of Monday, Martuscello said 32 of 42 prisons are still striking. Bray said they're taking further action and terminating the health insurance for thousands of correction officers, who have been 'AWOL,' and their dependents beginning Monday, she said. 'None of these actions we take lightly,' she said. 'We have tried at every turn to get people back to work without taking these actions.' TAYLOR LAW The wildcat strike was unsanctioned by NYSCOPBA. Bray said the state has the authority, under civil service law 210, otherwise known as the Taylor Law, to take these actions such as termination of employment and health insurance. 'Striking is absolutely illegal for employees and unions that are covered under that law,' Bray said. 'That's because our corrections officers, like many of our public sector public safety staff, are essential employees, and their showing up for work is essential for the safety of the state. When a violation of the Taylor Law occurs, the chief legal officer of the state, in this case the Attorney General, can seek contempt for those in violation, which she has done.' Bray said no correction officers have been arrested yet, but over 350 have been named in the civil action. 'The Attorney General's Office is at a hearing this morning in an effort to begin civil contempt proceedings for those named officers,' she said. 'We would expect that to play out over the next several days before anyone was detained.' NATIONAL GUARD COST On Feb. 18, Gov. Kathy Hochul mobilized the New York National Guard to enter facilities across the state. Bray said there have been 5,300 Guard members with boots on the ground in facilities. There's no timetable for how long the National Guard will be in state prisons. 'Our continuity of operations, for an event like this, is to leave the National Guard in place. and you know, both Commissioner Martuscello and myself have been to a number of facilities over the last 48 hours, the Guard is doing everything they can to continue to run those facilities professionally and safely,' Bray said. 'It is our sincere hope that … this illegal strike ends and ends quickly, ends today, ends tomorrow. Let's get back to work, but the National Guard will stay for as long as we need the National Guard to stay, and right now, they're doing a very good job.' In response to the strike, so far, the state has spent $25 million, Bray said. 'We estimate that if the strike were to continue, we'd be spending approximately $106 million a month,' she said. 'The Taylor Law provides for both sanction in terms of detention and fines equal to what the state is spending to respond to the illegal action.' LOOKING AHEAD Asked what their long-term plan will be if the correction officers do not return to work, Bray said 'no matter when this ends or how this ends, our long term plan is, must be and is to recruit more corrections officers, because our facilities run safer when we're fully staffed.' 'And unfortunately, it has been exceedingly hard, even before the pandemic, but really accelerated by the pandemic and after the pandemic, to remain fully staffed. That's one of the reasons why this Consent Award included important things to help incentivize staffing. For example, the state agreed to an up to $3,000 referral bonus until folks return to work and we end the strike.' While the Consent Award was agreed to by union leadership, it was not welcomed by the rank and file members who remain on the picket line. The tense situation caught the attention of Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-Schuylerville) who issued a statement Monday. 'New York Governor Kathy Hochul's disgraceful termination of hardworking correctional officers is the outrageous culmination of Hochul and Albany Democrats anti-law enforcement, HALT Act, Defund the Police agenda punishing our brave law enforcement officers and law abiding citizens,' Stefanik said. 'This abject failure has put the lives and livelihoods of our correctional officers at significant risk. I will continue to support our law enforcement and their families who make tremendous sacrifices to keep our communities safe.'
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Parade backs Dannemora CO strike
DANNEMORA — While it may still be hard to tell just how many striking correction officers opted to return to work by the state-imposed deadline of Saturday, one thing that was not hard to tell was how much the community is supporting the officers. 'I was up here last Sunday standing out there with them. I hate seeing how dragged out these guys are,' Mike Mussen Jr., a retired correction officer, said Saturday at Maplefield's convenience store just outside the Village of Dannemora. 'These guys are doing a great job at standing strong and standing tall together.' STRIKE DEMANDS Correction officers across the state have been striking at prisons since Feb. 17. They seek safer working conditions inside prisons. More staff, better measures to keep troublesome contraband out and a repeal of the Humane Alternatives to Long Term Incarceration Act, which strictly limits the amount of time and which inmates can be sent to special housing units, are at the top of the officer's list of demands. Prisons statewide have been run by officers who have chose not to strike as well as members of the National Guard, which Gov. Kathy Hochul called up during the first week of the wildcat strike that is not sanctioned by the correction officer's union, the New York State Correction Officer Police Benevolent Association. Representatives from the state and the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision and NYSCOPBA sat down for several sessions with a mediator last week and eventually came up with an agreement. The agreement called for a suspension of HALT for 90 days and measures to limit required overtime shifts and to scan legal mail entering prisons. It also called for no discipline against the striking officers. The deal set Saturday as the date for all striking officers to return to work. There was no vote on whether to accept the deal by rank and file members and the union said it would be up to individual officers if they would return to work. COMMUNITY PARADE On Saturday, the community outside Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora held a parade to show support. People, along with local businesses, drove past the picket line on Route 374 outside the facility. Mussen, who organized the parade, said it was to buoy the spirits of the striking officers and show that the community is behind them. Mussen said he was not a fan of the state's officer and the union's lack of union action. 'The governor is playing a nasty game and the union hasn't done a thing about it,' he said. 'These guys are paying dues, they are doing everything they can, and they've given their all. It's a horrible feeling walking in late at night, and you can't spend time with your family because you're so exhausted.' Mark Plumadore, a retiree of the facility's civilian staff, said the HALT Act is the sticking point. 'A majority of the people here, if the state just took the HALT Act out, would go back in right now,' Plumadore said. 'But they are not accepting anything. They are in it for the long haul.' 'IT'S GONNA GET UGLY' Retired officer Jim Mazzotte predicted worsening conditions if the state doesn't take action and agree to the officers' requests. 'I think it's gonna get ugly,' Mazzotte said. 'All the governor is doing is threatening them. She refuses to negotiate. It's p---ing them off, but these guys are going to stand strong. They're not going anywhere anytime soon.' Bill Coolidge, a retired corrections officer for 21 years, also supports the striking officers and sees the agreement as weak. 'I am not affected by the grievances these men are striking for today, but I wanted to come out and show support for these people here,' he said. 'It doesn't sound like a good agreement. I wouldn't take it.' 'THESE ARE THEIR PEOPLE' Coolidge was just 23 years-old during the last correction officers strike in 1979, on the job for about two months. 'I remember it was chaotic. I think this is much more orderly and calm,' he said. 'I just wish the union would back it because these are their people, and that support would be the best way to combat it.'
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Parade backs Dannemora CO strike
DANNEMORA — While it may still be hard to tell just how many striking correction officers opted to return to work by the state-imposed deadline of Saturday, one thing that was not hard to tell was how much the community is supporting the officers. 'I was up here last Sunday standing out there with them. I hate seeing how dragged out these guys are,' Mike Mussen Jr., a retired correction officer, said Saturday at Maplefield's convenience store just outside the Village of Dannemora. 'These guys are doing a great job at standing strong and standing tall together.' STRIKE DEMANDS Correction officers across the state have been striking at prisons since Feb. 17. They seek safer working conditions inside prisons. More staff, better measures to keep troublesome contraband out and a repeal of the Humane Alternatives to Long Term Incarceration Act, which strictly limits the amount of time and which inmates can be sent to special housing units, are at the top of the officer's list of demands. Prisons statewide have been run by officers who have chose not to strike as well as members of the National Guard, which Gov. Kathy Hochul called up during the first week of the wildcat strike that is not sanctioned by the correction officer's union, the New York State Correction Officer Police Benevolent Association. Representatives from the state and the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision and NYSCOPBA sat down for several sessions with a mediator last week and eventually came up with an agreement. The agreement called for a suspension of HALT for 90 days and measures to limit required overtime shifts and to scan legal mail entering prisons. It also called for no discipline against the striking officers. The deal set Saturday as the date for all striking officers to return to work. There was no vote on whether to accept the deal by rank and file members and the union said it would be up to individual officers if they would return to work. COMMUNITY PARADE On Saturday, the community outside Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora held a parade to show support. People, along with local businesses, drove past the picket line on Route 374 outside the facility. Mussen, who organized the parade, said it was to buoy the spirits of the striking officers and show that the community is behind them. Mussen said he was not a fan of the state's officer and the union's lack of union action. 'The governor is playing a nasty game and the union hasn't done a thing about it,' he said. 'These guys are paying dues, they are doing everything they can, and they've given their all. It's a horrible feeling walking in late at night, and you can't spend time with your family because you're so exhausted.' Mark Plumadore, a retiree of the facility's civilian staff, said the HALT Act is the sticking point. 'A majority of the people here, if the state just took the HALT Act out, would go back in right now,' Plumadore said. 'But they are not accepting anything. They are in it for the long haul.' 'IT'S GONNA GET UGLY' Retired officer Jim Mazzotte predicted worsening conditions if the state doesn't take action and agree to the officers' requests. 'I think it's gonna get ugly,' Mazzotte said. 'All the governor is doing is threatening them. She refuses to negotiate. It's p---ing them off, but these guys are going to stand strong. They're not going anywhere anytime soon.' Bill Coolidge, a retired corrections officer for 21 years, also supports the striking officers and sees the agreement as weak. 'I am not affected by the grievances these men are striking for today, but I wanted to come out and show support for these people here,' he said. 'It doesn't sound like a good agreement. I wouldn't take it.' 'THESE ARE THEIR PEOPLE' Coolidge was just 23 years-old during the last correction officers strike in 1979, on the job for about two months. 'I remember it was chaotic. I think this is much more orderly and calm,' he said. 'I just wish the union would back it because these are their people, and that support would be the best way to combat it.'
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Day six of correction officer strike sees big crowds outside prison
DANNEMORA — Day six of the statewide correction officers strike saw massive crowds outside Clinton Correctional Facility supporting the work action on Saturday. 'I've been talking to correction officers, and it's clear these protests are about safety and staffing levels, and it needs to be addressed now," State Assemblyman D. Billy Jones (D-Chateaugay Lake) said. "Everyone deserves to go to work in these facilities feeling safe and knowing they'll return to their families." The officers are taking part in a wildcat strike due to what they say are unsafe conditions inside the prison walls. They are lobbying for more staff, better policies to keep contraband out and a repeal of the Humane Alternatives to Long Term Incarceration Act, which severely limits the amount of time and which inmates can be sent to special housing for egregious acts. The officer's union, the New York State Correction Officer Police Benevolent Association, has not sanctioned the strike, which is also happening at prisons in Altona and at three in Malone. The state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision said Saturday that the illegal strike is risking the safety and security of the correctional facilities. "This action is undermining the safety of COs currently on the job, the incarcerated population, and the dozens of communities where prisons are located," DOCCS said in a statement. DOCCS Commissioner Daniel Martuscello III issued a memo earlier this week addressing the situation and said the state has offered to begin mediation sessions to settle the dispute. "Martuscello's memo from earlier this week outlined that those continuing to work in facilities would receive a temporary increased overtime pay rate. It also provided immunity from discipline for those walking off the picket line and returning to work, resulting in several officers returning to duty," DOCCS said. "COs continuing to take part in this illegal job action are violating the law. They will be considered absent without leave and are being docked pay for every day on strike. Also, as a result of their status, the state will terminate their state sponsored health insurance. In addition, those participating in the illegal job action will face administrative penalties along with Department discipline for violating the State's Taylor Law and a judge's temporary restraining order." Jones, a former correction officer himself, said he will work with the state to help settle the issue. "Since its inception, I've been against implementing the HALT Act in our facilities statewide. I've always believed HALT puts officers and staff at risk, while also jeopardizing the working order of our facilities," Jones said. "As a former correction officer for two decades, these issues hit home. I'm constantly stressing upon the governor's office and the DOCCS to halt HALT. I'm also fighting adamantly for the inclusion of further security and preventative measures in the state budget, as well as introducing legislation to directly address all their concerns, including requiring full body scans of all visitors and inmates, as well as updating legal mail procedures." Jones said he is also concerned about staffing levels inside the prisons. "Staffing is another major concern as officers and civilians are often working doubles, and sometimes triple shifts, which makes their work and family lives unpredictable and brings down morale across the facilities," Jones said. "Not only is this unhealthy, it's unsustainable. I will continue working around the clock, listening to our officers and staff, and doing what I can to facilitate a fair and quick resolution... Please know I will continue pressing the governor's office and DOCCS to resolve these major concerns immediately.'
