February 19, 2025
On Tuesday, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that if the state prison guards (at over two dozen prisons) wouild not stop striking, she would send in the New York State National Guard: Governor Kathy Hochul has announced preparations to utilize the New York National Guard to protect correction officers who are currently on the job, individuals in DOCCS care and the communities surrounding these correctional facilities. The Governor also directed Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Commissioner Daniel Martuscello and senior Administration officials to meet with leaders from the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association to call for an end to the unlawful work stoppage that is causing significant public safety concerns across New York.
“The illegal and unlawful actions being taken by a number of correction officers must end immediately,” Governor Hochul said. “We will not allow these individuals to jeopardize the safety of their colleagues, incarcerated people, and the residents of communities surrounding our correctional facilities. I have directed my Administration to meet with union leadership to resolve this situation and have also ordered the National Guard be mobilized to secure our correctional facilities in the event it is not resolved by tomorrow. Correction officers do difficult work under challenging circumstances, and I have consistently fought for them to have better pay and working conditions and will continue to do so.”
Governor Hochul is preparing to deploy members of the New York National Guard to DOCCS facilities tomorrow if the unlawful work stoppage does not end, and will begin to take appropriate disciplinary action as necessary. The Governor has also directed her Counsel to work with the Office of the Attorney General on legal mechanisms such as the Taylor Law which will compel employees to return to work.
FROM NYSP: The New York State Police are assisting the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS) by providing outer perimeter security at select correctional facilities experiencing job action strikes or increased staff absences. Since last evening, NYSP personnel have been deployed to several facilities to maintain a presence on facility grounds, ensuring DOCCS staff can focus their efforts on interior security operations. At this time, the NYSP role remains limited to external security support.
FROM CONGRESSMAN LANGWORTHY: Congressman Nick Langworthy Delivers Message to Corrections Officers; Announces Visit to Collins Correctional Facility Today.
Congressman Nick Langworthy (NY-23) will visit the Collins Correctional Facility this morning to stand with the men and woman who serve as officers in New York State’s corrections facilities. He will also highlight the dangerous work practices that are being made worse by New York State’s HALT Act, which has taken away the ability of corrections staff to enforce rules and disincentivize bad behavior.
The consequences have been immense danger for the officers and prisoners alike. Inmate-on-inmate assaults are up 169% and inmate-on-staff assaults are up 76%.
FROM STATE SENATOR GEORGE BORRELLO: STATEMENT FROM SENATOR GEORGE BORRELLO ON GOVERNOR HOCHULS DECISION TO DEPLOY THE NEW YORK NATUONAL GUARD TO DOCCS POPULATION AND UPSTATE COMMUNITIES. “What does Governor Hochul’s tone-deaf press release reveal? It shows she either doesn’t get it or simply doesn’t care about the real issues our correctional staff are facing. This isn’t about money. This is about the lack of safety and egregious violations of labor protections that every other employer in the state must follow. Hochul’s shameful silence on the deplorable conditions in our state’s prisons speaks volumes. The state employees, including correctional officers, whom she is obligated to protect, face daily dangers due to conditions intentionally imposed by a radical far-left legislature and her own administration. Instead of stepping up as the leader she claims to be and responding to the reasonable concerns of corrections officers, she has chosen to deploy the New York National Guard as a strike-busting force-a move that’s as cowardly as it is ineffective. By deploying the National Guard, she’s not only dismissing the officers’ legitimate concerns but also sets a dangerous precedent for handling labor disputes in our state. Correctional officers are on the front lines, working under incredibly challenging conditions, and their strike is a desperate cry for help, highlighting the urgent need for better working conditions and adequate staffing. By choosing to threaten and intimidate those who are standing up for their rights and safety, the Governor fails to address the root causes of the strike. Deploying the National Guard is a heavy-handed tactic, not a solution. Her actions show that she’s more interested in punishing those fighting for a safer workplace than in actually solving the crisis at hand.”
FROM CONGRESSWOMAN CLAUDIA TENNEY: Oswego, New York – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) today released the following statement on the ongoing strikes at some of New York’s Correctional Facilities, including the Attica, Auburn, Wyoming, Elmira, Cayuga, Albion and Five Points correctional facilities.
“For years, Correctional Officers (COs) have raised serious concerns about unsafe working conditions caused by severe staffing shortages and pro-criminal policies pushed by Governor Kathy Hochul and Albany Democrats. Assaults on COs have nearly doubled, and they are routinely forced to work double and even triple shifts,” said Congresswoman Tenney.
“Instead of addressing these issues and working to make these essential jobs safer, Governor Hochul and Acting DOCCS Commissioner Daniel Martuscello recently instructed prison superintendents to treat just 70% of staffing capacity as “full staffing.”
“Now, as COs are advocating for better working conditions, Kathy Hochul and Commissioner Martuscello are holding the COs who decided to go to work hostage and forcing inmates into a 24-hour lockdown. This situation is at a boiling point, and sending in the National Guard will only make this situation more dangerous. Our state’s National Guardsmen are some of the best soldiers our country has to offer but placing them in this situation is misguided and dangerous. Sending in the National Guard will only put more lives at risk.
“These dangerous working conditions are only set to get worse. Governor Hochul and Commissioner Martuscello must treat COs with the respect they deserve and recognize them as the essential workers they are. I stand with our courageous correctional officers.”
