A new agreement may end wildcat strikes by thousands of New York State correctional officers that have created chaos in the prison system. Under the agreement, negotiated by state officials and the correctional officers’ union, officers are expected to return to work Monday. The officers, who said staffing shortages, forced overtime and dangerous working conditions prompted the illegal strikes, received an ultimatum from the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision: go back to their posts or face discipline, termination or, possibly, criminal charges, reports the New York Times.
The union agreed on Saturday to the terms outlined in the memorandum, the corrections department said. Those terms will take effect when 85 percent of staff return to work. Any disputes will be resolved by an arbitrator. It was unclear how the the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association would enforce the return-to-work provision because it did not authorize the strikes. The department and the union struck a similar deal last month, but most officers ignored that agreement. The state agreed to a 90-day pause on provisions in the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement Act (HALT), which limits solitary confinement. Striking officers have said that without solitary confinement, they cannot separate violent individuals from staff members and other inmates. If staffing vacancies reach 30 percent at a given prison, the department may close parts of the facility to prevent officers from being stretched too thin. The turmoil began Feb. 17, when officers at two state prisons declared unauthorized strikes. Two days later, a judge ordered the strike to end. Instead, more strikes ensued. Officers at nearly all the 42 state prisons joined the work action, and Gov. Kathy Hochul deployed 7,000 National Guard troops to staff the facilities.