State preparing to send National Guard to staff prisons where officers are striking

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — New York State is preparing to send the New York National Guard to staff prisons across the state where correction officers have gone on strike, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office said Tuesday.

Correction officers at Collins Correctional Facility are striking for a second day on Tuesday, while officers at the maximum security Attica Correctional Facility as well as Wende Correctional Facility began striking Tuesday. Officers are also striking at Lake View Correctional Facility in Chautauqua County, a minimum security shock incarceration facility.

Officers striking outside of Collins Correctional Facility

There are also correction officers picketing at a facility in Elmira and at Groveland Correctional in Livingston County, among 25 prisons New York State, with staff at the facilities refusing to enter for their shifts.

The New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association said that Monday the job action “was not in any way sanctioned by NYSCOPBA.” However, union members are calling it a strike and admit they are breaking state law by doing so. State law prohibits public employees from striking, which can lead to fines and other discipline. Hochul’s office said that if the strike does not end on Wednesday, they will take disciplinary action.

Prison guards are demanding mandated body scans for visitors, scans of incoming mail to inmates, a $5,000 bonus for new employees and no overtime mandates over 16 hours, according to the union. They also wish to reverse the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement (HALT) act.

“We’re not out here for money. That’s not what this is about,” said Jordan Phillips, a correction officer at Wende. “We want to be safe, we want the civilian staff to be safe, and we want the incarcerated individual to be safe. We aren’t being provided with the proper tools and the proper staff to ensure that drugs of weapons getting into this facility is not possible.”

The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) said in a statement that the “job actions initiated by some rogue NYSCOPBA members” are “illegal and unlawful.” DOCCS said in a statement on Tuesday that they have been looking at options or already have made implementations as to what the officers are asking them for, including increasing starting salaries and making changes to safety.

DOCCS added in its response that some of the things, including the reversal of the HALT act and changing the use of body scanners, are not changes that Hochul can make unilaterally, and would require legislation. It also said that it has been photocopying mail in most facilities already in order to not allow contraband into the prisons.

“They cannot work in those conditions. It’s unacceptable,” said Jenna Cowtun, a former Attica officer who showed up on Tuesday. “Albany knows that. Albany has known that for years and they have let what happened happen. These guys are risking their jobs and their lives.”

“Since Commissioner [Daniel] Martuscello took office, the State negotiated a new labor agreement with NYSCOPBA that includes yearly salary increases, increases in location pay, and paid parental leave,” DOCCS said. “We have also instituted new policies and procedures to reduce the amount of contraband entering our facilities to increase the safety of all within our facilities. We value our employees and are dedicated to continuing the recruiting efforts to increase security staffing in all DOCCS correctional facilities to restore the important work life balance for all.”

Executive Vice President of NYSCOBA Matt Keough said the union met with DOCCS and the governor’s staff on Tuesday and that they are in negotiations to reach a resolve.

In its most recent audit reports conducted by the state, Attica Correctional had a population of over 1,600 in June 2023, Collins Correctional had a population of just over 900 in November 2022 and Wende Correctional Facility had a population of just over 750 in 2019.

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Aidan Joly joined the News 4 staff in 2022. He is a graduate of Canisius College. You can see more of his work here.

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