Prison staff still on strike at Groveland and other facilities after state says they could face charges ...Middle East

GROVELAND, N.Y. – New York State says it’s giving corrections officers on strike at dozens of prisons its final warning to return to work or face consequences.

The state’s Department of Corrections and Community Supervision said staff could face charges if they don’t return to their scheduled shifts on Friday. News10NBC went to Groveland Correctional Facility in Livingston County, as the unsanctioned strike entered its 18th day, to see whether staff chose to return to work vs. walk the picket line.

The first scheduled shift started at 5:45 a.m. on Friday, but as people walking the picket line pointed out, the staff parking lot outside the prison isn’t nearly as full as it normally would be. Staff told News10NBC that they’re still on strike because the deal their union reached with DOCCS leaders last week doesn’t do enough to ensure their safety. Much of those safety concerns revolve around the HALT Act. They’re also concerned about the legitimacy of the deal, saying the union hasn’t signed the paperwork meaning it’s not a guarantee.

Prison staff went on strike to demand higher staffing levels, regulations on mandated overtime, and increased measures to protect them from being assaulted. The deal agrees to eliminate mandatory 24-hour overtime shifts, screen prison mail with technology to check for hazardous substances like drugs, and implement programs to recruit more staff like a referral bonus program.

The deal also suspends some parts of the HALT Act for at least 90 days and when a prison has a staff vacancy above 30%. The HALT Act aimed to limit solitary confinement and make discipline more humane. It limits solitary to 15 straight days and bans solitary for pregnant people, those with disabilities, and anyone older than 55 or younger than 21.

Guards say there is no longer a deterrent to dangerous behavior and the HALT Act has led to an increase in inmates assaulting staff since it went into effect in 2022 and is contributing to staffing shortages. The corrections commissioner said the state will create a committee focused on finding other ways to improve safety and fix how the HALT Act is implemented.

Already, over 5,200 corrections officers have lost health insurance coverage and at least 20 have been fired because they continue to strike. After reaching the deal, the state gave staff until Saturday, March 1 to accept it and return to work or be fired. Now, nearly a week later, the state is preparing to pursue criminal and civil action to try to end the strikes. The state is also threatening daily fines of hundreds of dollars a day, retroactive to the first strike

“We are prepared to and we will exercise all of our rights and all remedies, criminal and civil, to end this illegal strike, and we will take action against those who continue to refuse to return to work illegally,” said Commissioner Jackie Bray of the Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Services.

DOCCS says staff are still on strike at 32 of the state’s 42 prisons. The National Guard is in prisons to help operations run smoothly during the strike.

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