Collins, N.Y. (WBEN) - Corrections officers at Collins Correctional Facility and Elmira Correctional Facility have gone on strike over working conditions, and a lack of action from state officials on matters at both facilities.
The strike began at the start of officers' shifts at 6:45 a.m. in Elmira and 7:45 a.m. in Collins.
Just outside the Collins facility on Monday, around 50-60 workers were present to take part in the strike. Workers on site said there are no plans to end their strike anytime soon.
Kenny Gold, regional vice president with the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association, says Monday is a microcosm of what has been happening at the correctional facilities for months now.
"Today was a culmination of our members, 'Enough is enough,' is what they're saying. They can't take anymore," said Gold during an appearance Monday with David Bellavia on WBEN. "And when you're back against the wall, they're out out here today at Collins, they're out at Elmira doing something that they know is against the Taylor Law, because they need to be heard. They need somebody to listen."
As a union, Gold says they have demanded a meeting with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul within two weeks, and that was 12 days ago. As things stand at this moment, there hasn't been any sort of response from the governor's office.
"With everything going on at Collins, where the officers were hurt and you have the department, themselves, downplaying everything that's happening when these men and women, their family is going through this as they're working - they don't know when they're going to come home, they don't know if their safe - instead, they come out with a memo saying they're going to cut 30% staff. So the public understands it, they're not going to cut 30% worth of officers where they're going to lay off, they're going to cut 30% officers that are working, which makes it even more increasingly unsafe," Gold added.
The strike comes after Collins Correctional Facility was locked down following a confrontation between inmates and guards on Wednesday. The lockdown of the facility ended over the weekend, with the frisking of the prison resulting in the confiscation of 23 weapons.
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According to Gold, both prisons are staffed with guards, but they are corrections officers who had worked overnight, because they don't have anybody else working.
Both facilities in Collins and Elmira have shut down visits for the time being due to the ongoing strike.
"I'm going to try to make it to both facilities to find out exactly what these members want, and get it to the powers that be to see what sort of change the department will make, the governor's office will make, to make it safer for our members and to give them some sort of work/life balance," Gold said. "I can't stress this enough, these members know what they're doing, they know it's against the law, they know they can't do it, but their livelihood and their life matters more to them than anything else."
Gold says the union is responsible for letting corrections officers know what they're allowed and what they're not allowed to do with job actions such as a strike. He says they're striking with the interests of what's best for everybody.
"There's incidents happening all over the state. Collins, itself, down here specifically over the summer, 11, 12 - I can't remember at this point - people were out at the hospital being sprayed down by hazmat, because they didn't know what was going on. Nothing's changed. Nothing at all has been changed, except for it's gotten worse," Gold said. "It's happened at Upstate, it's happened at Wyoming, it happened at mid-state. It's happening all over, and that hasn't been fixed.
"The mandatory overtime, we didn't think it could get worse. The summer time's always the worst time for overtime, and it's now the middle of February, and people are working 24-hour shifts, 32-hour shifts. No one knows when it's going to stop. These folks are out here fighting for their families. They want to see their kids, they want to go home and see their their dogs. They want to see something more than prisoners."
State Sen. George Borrello released the following statement on the strikes happening at both Collins and Elmira Correctional Facilities on Monday:
“The dangerous and deteriorating working conditions within our state prisons have reached a crisis point. These unsafe environments have led to countless injuries among the corrections staff, severely impacting both their physical well-being and morale. The overworked, underappreciated personnel continue to face daily hazards, all while enduring the incompetence of a governor who fails to act and a legislature that, driven by pro-criminal policies, offers no relief.
"The so-called "pro-labor" Democrats, who have championed strikes and protests to demand better working conditions in other sectors, seem to have completely ignored the struggles of those who risk their lives daily behind prison walls. While they claim to stand for workers' rights, they have turned their backs on the dedicated corrections staff whose safety and livelihoods depend on decisive action and real change. The hypocrisy is undeniable, and the consequences are disastrous.
"I stand with those who put their own safety on the line every day. They deserve our respect and support."
Also releasing a statement on the strikes at Collins and Elmira Correctional Facilities was State Sen. Patrick Gallivan:
"Corrections officers face more dangers while on the job than ever before. The unprecedented number of assaults on these officers within our prison walls is unacceptable.
"The state has an obligation to ensure that correctional facilities are adequately staffed and that officers have the resources, training and tools necessary to keep everyone in our prisons safe.
"Staff shortages and mandatory overtime policies contribute to make an already dangerous environment caused by lax policies and laws favoring offenders even worse.
"We can no longer stand idly by.
"The Legislature, the Executive and DOCCS must take immediate steps to ensure safety and security at all of NY's correctional facilities."
WBEN also received the following statement from the State Department of Corrections:
"Since Commissioner 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. 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.
"The job actions initiated by some rogue NYSCOPBA members, at Collins and Elmira Correctional Facilities this morning are illegal and unlawful. We are committed to engaging the union in order to return staff to work and resume normal operations at the two facilities.
"Visitation at both facilities have been cancelled until further notice."