Corrections Officers are Protesting At 20 New York State Prisons

On Monday, correction officers from a handful of New York prisons went on strike due to what employees deem as unsafe working conditions.

Tuesday morning, a tidal wave of workers did the same, and reports are that as many as 20 prisons throughout New York State have correction officers protesting outside.

Why Are Staffers Protesting?

Sources say that workers are concerned about understaffing, mandatory overtime, and possible position reduction.

According to a report, state Sen. George Borrello, a Republican from Jamestown, New York, supports what he calls overworked and underappreciated personnel.

“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," he told the New York Post. 

Where Are the Protests?

Sources report that as many as 20 New York State prisons and correctional facilities throughout the state currently have staff members involved in the protest.

They include Upstate, Franklin, Fishkill, Bare Hill, Clinton, Five Points, Cayuga, Woodbourne, Gouverner, Auburn, Adirondack, Collins, Albion, Attica, Elmira, Lakeview, Groveland, Ulster, Eastern, Wyoming, Orleans, Wende.

The New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association, the union representing state correction officers, is well aware of the protests but did not sanction them.

“At (the) facilities, staff chose to not enter for their work shifts as a result of their discontentment with current working conditions,” NYSCOPBA said in a statement. 

New York State Prohibits Employee Strikes

New York State law prohibits public employee strikes, and courts have ruled that "wildcat strikes," without union leadership’s backing, are illegal.

Department of Corrections and Community Supervision spokesperson Thomas Mailey told sources that the strikes were “initiated by some rogue NYSCOPBA members” and are “illegal and unlawful.”

Videos/Pictures Show Protestors at Prisons Throughout New York

Christine Lorenz Heck posted this video on Facebook showing laborers protesting work conditions at Washington Correctional Facility in Comstock, New York.

Pat Hahn posted photos to social media showing several New York prisons with corrections officers protesting, including 5 Points Correctional Facility, Attica, Wyoming, Auburn, Gouverneur, and more.

Video News Service, which covers breaking news and events in Genesee, Orleans, and Wyoming Counties for media outlets in Western New York, shows correctional officers from Attica, Albion, and Orleans Correctional out at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday.