Collins, N.Y. (WBEN) - A memorandum was sent out by New York State's Department of Corrections on Thursday that gave a list of proposals to corrections officers who are on strike at over 30 facilities across the state.
In the memo, it promises a temporary suspension of specific elements of the HALT Act under exceptional circumstances where they create a significant and unreasonable risk to the safety and security of the staff, other inmates, or the facility itself. It also states that any corrections officer who returned to work before 11:59 p.m. on Thursday would not face any consequences.
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However, corrections officers say they'll return to work when their entire list of demands is met, and a suspension is not one of them.
"They're not falling for her tactics, because you can't always trust what the governor has to say until she signs it. We don't believe it, because saying that she'll give you this and give you that, saying 'We won't charge you if you go back to work by 11:59.' That's not a major sticking point. The major sticking point is the safety of the officers, which is the HALT Act, and also retaining more officers, because people are leaving in droves because of the HALT Act," stated Ernie Dole, a retired corrections officer who was at the Collins Correctional Facility strike on Thursday.
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One anonymous corrections officer on strike, who called into "Bauerle" on Thursday feels the memorandum means absolutely nothing.
"We are not going back to work tonight. I would be surprised if even one correction officer returned into that facility. We all know what we're doing. We know the consequences. That is how bad this department has treated us. That's how bad this job has become," said the anonymous corrections officer with Tom Bauerle on WBEN.
Despite growing pressure from the state for corrections officers to return to work, members of the community, including local fire departments, have been showing up to Collins Correctional Facility to drop off supplies and show support.
"The local fire companies in this area, the Helmuth Fire Chiefs Council decided yesterday that they want to show their support for the officers, because they know them. They're friends of theirs, their family of theirs. Everybody has friends or family in all the fire companies around here, and that was their way of showing support for the men and women that work in corrections. So they lined up their fire trucks and they delivered food to everybody to show their support," stated Dole.