New York prison officials, unsuccessful at negotiating an end to corrections officers' wildcat strike, have shifted to punitive measures, firing a handful of officers and putting more than 350 others on notice of civil contempt charges, Gothamist reports. The state and New York's corrections union last Thursday struck a tentative deal to address working conditions complaints that led most of the state's corrections officers to strike without their union's endorsement. While officers at some prisons returned to work, many did not, leading to the state's punitive measures, which also include stripping officers of their health insurance. To date, fewer than 10 officers have been fired. Officials report that the strike has already cost the state $25 million. On Saturday, corrections officers received notices warning that strikers would lose their health insurance coverage, both for themselves and their families, starting Monday. The department also sent text messages to officers stating that those who continue to participate in the illegal strike would face imprisonment. At a news conference on Monday, Gov. Kathy Hochul said striking corrections officers rejected the deal that their union agreed to. “People decided, ‘Well, we’d rather stay out on the line,’” she said. “That was their choice, It was not the union’s position.”
The state has sent about 7,000 National Guard troops and additional reinforcement into prisons. Current estimates from the state indicate the strike will cost New York approximately $106 million a month if it continues at its current rate. At least seven prisoners have died since the strikes began on Feb. 17, the New York Times reports. At Auburn Correctional Facility in central New York, two ailing men died after not receiving medical care quickly enough. At Sing Sing Correctional Facility north of New York City, where inmates had been confined in housing areas for more than a week, a man hanged himself in his cell — with no one around to intervene. In certain prisons, inmates have been deprived of hot meals and showers. In others, they have missed court appearances or endured delays in receiving necessary medication, services, or mental health care, according to interviews with prisoners, staff members, and National Guard soldiers who were brought in to maintain order after corrections officers abandoned their posts.