Governor Kathy Hochul's administration has declared an end to the unsanctioned strike by corrections officers, resulting in the termination of over 2,000 officers who refused to return to work. The Department of Corrections and Community Supervision announced that although the required return rate of 85% was not met, the state would still implement parts of a recent agreement aimed at improving safety and working conditions. Many national guard troops will continue to help staff the prisons. Officers involved will face penalties under the Taylor Law for their actions during the strike.
"We are committed to building a dedicated, resilient workforce and attracting the next generation of correctional leaders," Martuscello said. "We will work to ensure the new department will be safer and more effective for everyone involved."
While Martuscello said the 85% threshold was not met, the state still plans to honor "some" of the points of the agreement, which includes establishing a committee to study the state's controversial solitary confinement policies and other provisions meant to increase the safety and working conditions for corrections officers.
An unknown number of the 6,500 national guard troops who had been deployed to relieve the unstaffed prisons will remain in place to help backfill for the corrections officers for an indefinite period of time.
Corrections workers who participated in the strike will still be on the hook for violations they incurred under the state's Taylor Law, which makes such walk outs illegal. Under the law, officers will have to fork over two times their amount of pay for every day they were illegally striking.
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