Central NY corrections officers join growing statewide prison strike
Strikes by government employees are illegal under state law.
www.syracuse.com
Auburn, N.Y. — Numerous corrections officers went on strike Tuesday morning at the Auburn Correctional Facility, joining strikes at other prisons in the state.
Several dozen people stood in frigid temperatures in front of the maximum security prison, where about 1,100 people are incarcerated. They held signs reading “strike” and gathered near burn barrels to stay warm.
The union representing corrections officers, the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association, said in a statement that it does not sanction the strikes.
Strikes by government employees are illegal under a section of state Civil Service Law commonly known as the Taylor Law. Employees lose two days of pay for every day they are on strike.
The strikes began Monday at Collins Correctional Facility near Buffalo, which went into lockdown for several days last week after contraband was found. The protest has since grown to several other facilities across the state.
Some people incarcerated in the prisons have reported denied or delayed access to medication, no meals and canceled visitation, according to the Center for Community Alternatives, a nonprofit that advocates for criminal justice reform.
Visitation has been cancelled until further notice at Attica, Auburn, Clinton, Collins, Eastern, Elmira, Five Points, Upstate and Wende correctional facilities, according to the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. It could not be immediately determined whether staff were on strike at all of those prisons.
Discontent has been growing among corrections officers as they say they are forced to work extensive amounts of overtime due to a staffing shortage. Union leaders earlier this month issued a vote of “no confidence” in Daniel Martuscello III, the state corrections commissioner.
The current contract with the corrections officers union took effect in 2023 and lasts through next year.
Several dozen people stood in frigid temperatures in front of the maximum security prison, where about 1,100 people are incarcerated. They held signs reading “strike” and gathered near burn barrels to stay warm.
The union representing corrections officers, the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association, said in a statement that it does not sanction the strikes.
Strikes by government employees are illegal under a section of state Civil Service Law commonly known as the Taylor Law. Employees lose two days of pay for every day they are on strike.
The strikes began Monday at Collins Correctional Facility near Buffalo, which went into lockdown for several days last week after contraband was found. The protest has since grown to several other facilities across the state.
Some people incarcerated in the prisons have reported denied or delayed access to medication, no meals and canceled visitation, according to the Center for Community Alternatives, a nonprofit that advocates for criminal justice reform.
Visitation has been cancelled until further notice at Attica, Auburn, Clinton, Collins, Eastern, Elmira, Five Points, Upstate and Wende correctional facilities, according to the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. It could not be immediately determined whether staff were on strike at all of those prisons.
Discontent has been growing among corrections officers as they say they are forced to work extensive amounts of overtime due to a staffing shortage. Union leaders earlier this month issued a vote of “no confidence” in Daniel Martuscello III, the state corrections commissioner.
The current contract with the corrections officers union took effect in 2023 and lasts through next year.
