State says enough New York Correctional Officers have returned to declare strike over once again

ALBANY, NY- Although there may still be some CO’s still on the picket line, officials in New York say enough of them have gone back to work to, once again, declare the strike over.

For context, the state has declared the strike to be done on numerous occasions, but it didn’t seem to faze guards on the picket line, who openly rejected the deals, despite mediations and the union accepting them.

With that said, it appears now that several CO’s have gone back to work and we have a few sources who claim that the picket groups have packed up at Marcy, Mid-State and Mohawk Correctional facilities.

Back in the middle of February, hundreds and hundreds of correctional officers walked off the job at facilities statewide to show their displeasure about what they claimed are unsafe working conditions, a move that Governor Kathy Hochul and state officials damned as a ‘wildcat’ strike.

CO’s, both current and recently retired, are blaming the rise of prison violence on legislation, known as the HALT Act, which was implanted in 2022 as an alternative standard of methods to address unruly inmates, instead of putting them away in solitary confinement for weeks on end.

There are state figures who believe the whole concept of solitary confinement is torturous to prisoners, but guards claim it is a necessary tool to keep unruly and violent inmates separated from the rest of the inmates, along with civilian staff and CO’s.

Furthermore, a temporary suspension (90-days) of the programming elements for HALT Act was included in all the deals, but guards who we spoke to want the entire legislation scrapped. New York State Senator Mark Walkczyk and New York State Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush are among the several North Country figures who call for the same thing.

Several lawmakers and police figures in the North Country have since been very critical of the HALT Act, especially in recent weeks during the strikes.

Still, despite attempts from striking CO’s to have their concerns addressed, more than 2,000 guards were fired as of Monday for failing to return back to duty.

We have heard a number of testimonies suggesting that a number of guards have lost health insurance for their families and other benefits, too.

Before the strikes began, approximately 13,500 security staff members were available to work in prisons across New York, but that number has since dropped to about 10,000, according to an update on Monday from the Governor’s Office.

“My top priority is the safety and well-being of all New Yorkers — and I have been working around-the-clock to end this illegal work stoppage and restore safety in our correctional system,” Governor Hochul said.

“We have taken unprecedented steps to protect public safety, and I am grateful to the National Guard and DOCCS personnel who stayed on the job, going above and beyond to protect their fellow New Yorkers. Today, we can finally say this work stoppage is over and move forward towards making our prisons safer for all, supporting our correctional staff, and recruiting the correction officers of the future.”

Meanwhile, the state says that more than 6,000 National Guard service members continue to be deployed to maintain safety and security alongside the security and civilian staff.

Governor Hochul also signed an Executive Order establishing a policy barring the hiring into State service of individuals who are participating in the wildcat strike and recommending their removal from the Central Registry of Police and Peace Officers for cause, which would prevent them from being hired as a Police or Peace Officer in state and local jurisdictions.

On Saturday, DOCCS and NYSCOPBA reached the fourth and final agreement to end the illegal walkout. Despite not meeting the 85 percent return threshold, the State is recognizing components of this agreement as well as the March 6th agreement in full. Components of the agreements that the State will honor include:

• Allowing the Commissioner of DOCCS to exercise his existing discretion under the HALT Act and continue the temporary suspension of the programming elements of the HALT Act for 90 days from the date of the MOA.
• Minimizing and working towards eliminating 24-hour mandatory overtime.
• Establishing a committee to analyze each facility's staffing and operational inefficiencies with the goal of providing more relief to existing staff.
• DOCCS shall not issue notices of discipline under the collective bargaining agreement for an employee who engaged in the strike so long as the employee returned to work by the deadline.
• Reiterating rescission of the 70/30 memo.
• Immediately reinstating the health insurance of any returning employee.
• Continue to pay the 2.5 times overtime rate originally established by mutual agreement on February 20, 2025, for 30 days from the date of the MOA.
• Allowing employees to purchase health insurance covering the full State share and employee share to the first day of AWOL/terminated health insurance.
• Establishing a committee comprised of representatives of NYSCOPВА and DOCCS and other parties to present recommendations to the New York State Legislature regarding changes to the HALT Act.

NYS Prison image.