A new deal has been reached to end a wildcat strike by thousands of New York State correctional officers, who have caused chaos throughout the prison system.
Under the agreement, negotiations are conducted by state officials and the corrections officer union, and the official is expected to return to work on Monday.
Officers who insisted that staff shortages forced overtime and dangerous working conditions prompted an illegal strike and received a final tip from the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision this week, returning to their posts or facing discipline, termination or possibly criminal charges, according to a memorandum issued by the agency.
The Department of Corrections said in a statement that the union agreed on the terms outlined in the memorandum on Saturday. These terms will take effect when 85% of employees return to work. Any disputes regarding the agreement will be resolved by the arbitrator.
It is unclear how unions, the New York State Correctional Instructors and the Police Mercy Association will enforce the return rules due to unauthorized strikes on Sunday. The department and the union reached a similar deal last month, which would end the strike by March 1. Most officials ignored the agreement.
In the new memorandum, the state agreed to 90-day pauses for certain provisions in the humanitarian alternative to the Humane Long-term Solitary Confinement Act, known as Halt, which restricts the use of solitary confinement for prisoners.
Strike officials said they could not properly separate violent people from staff and other incarcerated people without solitary confinement. Correction departments will re-evaluate the regulations for next month and determine whether they should take effect again. The memo said that if the staffing position vacancies are 30% in a given prison, the department may close a portion of the facility to prevent officials from being too narrow.
The agency reserves the right to punish officers who went on strike, the statement said.
Comments with the union on Sunday were not allowed to be made regarding the agreement.
The turmoil began on February 17, when two state prison officers announced an unauthorized strike. Two days later, the judge ordered the suspension to end.
Instead, more strikes followed. Officials from nearly all 42 state prisons joined the work operation, with Gov. Kathy Hochul deploying about 7,000 National Guard units to work for the facility.
During the Labor unrest, 22-year-old prisoner Messiah Nantwi died on March 1 at the Chinese Correctional Institution in Massi, New York, and two days later, 15 correction departments employees were linked to his death.
Nine prisoners interviewed by The New York Times said Mr. Nantway died after being beaten by prison guards. Governor Kathy Hochul said that although the deaths are still under investigation, “early reports indicate that the behavior that led to Mr. Nantvey’s death is extremely disturbing.”
At least eight prisoners have died since the strike began. According to the inmates, they included two men at the Auburn Correctional Facilities facility in central New York who did not receive immediate medical treatment and a man hanged his cell at the Sing Sing Sing Correctional Facilities in the Hudson Valley. Throughout the strike, some prisoners had no showers and hot food, while others missed their court dates.
Jackie Bray, director of the New York Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, said in a press conference last week that dozens of officers and sergeants involved in the strike have been fired.
