The New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA) is calling for an urgent meeting with the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) to address a range of issues effecting the safety and working conditions of correctional officers.
The issues, which include staffing shortages, workplace conditions, the implementation of 12-hour shifts, scheduled days off, vacation periods and other issues have reached a critical point, union officials say, following the recent organization of a grassroots strike organized by NYSCOPBA members to highlight unsafe working conditions.
Compounding the current work-place crisis, is the announcement by DOCCS Commissioner Martuscello on Monday to release potentially thousands of inmates up to 110 days prior to their earliest release date yet, all while failing to address the long-standing issues that led to the labor strike and the firing of 2000 officers, the union says.
The understaffing within the state’s correctional facilities is not a new issue, union leaders tell WBEN. Since January of 2023, staffing levels decreased by over 2000 through attrition and the failure to effectively recruit. When the Governor arbitrarily fired 2000 officers during the non-sanctioned labor strike, staffing levels are now at dangerously low level and impact the safety of both staff and inmates.
After several negotiations between union leaders, DOCCS and members of the Governor’s Office to address the mounting concerns the union had about the dangerous working conditions in state prisons during the non-sanctioned 22-day strike, the concerns have been largely ignored by the Governor’s leadership and DOCCS, the union says.
"Both sides need to work together," James Miller with NYSCOPBA tells WBEN. "The leadership of the union is more than willing ...I think it's imperative that it does occur."
Meanwhile, Senator Rob Ortt was joined by Senator George Borrello, Assemblyman David DiPietro and Assemblyman Paul Bologna at the Collins Correctional Facility Friday, shortly after Governor Hochul attended an event at the new Buffalo Bills stadium, to blast her decision on the early release plans.
“This is government malpractice. The decision by Governor Hochul and DOCCS to release inmates early because of a staffing crisis they created is an outrageous betrayal of public trust and a slap in the face to the brave correctional officers who risk their lives every day,” said Senator George Borrello.
Instead of listening and instituting meaningful change, DOCCS and Governor Hochul ignored their pleas and fired over 2,000 of these hard-working men and women - leaving our prison system more vulnerable than ever. Rather than just release inmates, DOCCS and Governor Hochul should rehire the officers they blackballed and clean up the mess they created.” said Senator Rob Ortt.
Ortt says the Republican conference is seeking to rehire terminated officers, recruit more officers, end the amount of mandatory overtime, and repeal, not just pause, the HALT Act.