Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration has declared an end to the unsanctioned strike that’s hampered dozens of New York prisons for weeks and fired thousands of corrections officers who refused to return to work.
Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Commissioner Daniel Martuscello told reporters Monday evening the strike was “over” and revealed that the prison guards who failed to clock in Monday were canned.
“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.”
A deal struck over the weekend necessitated 85% of corrections officers and sergeants to return to work Monday in order for its terms to stick.
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.
About 10,000 of the 13,500 DOCCS employees who were working prior to the strike had returned as of Monday, according to Martuscello.
The DOCCS commissioner said more than 2,000 workers who did not return from the strike have been “terminated, effective immediately.”
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.
Hochul’s office estimates the strike has cost taxpayers $3.5 million per day.
