By MELANIE LEKOCEVIC and EJ CONZOLA
Capital Region Independent Media
COXSACKIE—Corrections officers at prisons around the state continued striking all last week and through the weekend, and returned to the picket line February 24.
At press time that day, there was no resolution to the matter and officers remained on strike at more than two dozen prisons statewide.
The strike was sparked February 17 when corrections officers (COs) in the Collins and Elmira facilities initiated a work stoppage. The strike gained steam February 18 when officers at 25 other facilities also walked out on the job.
By February 20, roughly 100 COs and their supporters lined Route 9W outside the Coxsackie Correctional Facility, a maximum security level facility for males, to voice their discontent with their treatment by the state, and similar scenes were playing out at more than 20 additional prisons around New York.
The officers are seeking safer working conditions, and for staffing to be brought up to 100%. They say COs are forced to take on mandatory second and third shifts to make up for the lack of staff, and that working so many consecutive shifts creates a dangerous condition for employees.
The officers also want policy changes, including the repeal of the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement (HALT) Act, passed in 2022, which severely restricts the use of solitary confinement as a disciplinary measure.
Corrections officers gathered on Route 9W again February 20 as part of a prison strike that has spread to 25 facilities across New York state./Melanie Lekocevic/Capital Region Independent Media
As the strike raged on and continued into its fourth day February 20, state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) Commissioner Daniel Martuscello, III, said in a memo distributed to the strikers that he was canceling “specific elements” of the HALT Act in an effort to control the situation inside the facilities.
“We are suspending the elements of HALT that cannot safely be operationalized under a prison-wide state of emergency until we can safely operate the prisons,” Mr. Martuscello wrote.
The memo, titled “Path to Restoring Workforce” did not specify which parts of the law were being paused.
One of the strikers’ key demands is the repeal of the HALT Act, which they claim has led to a spike in inmate-on-inmate and inmate-on-officer attacks since it was approved by the state Legislature in 2022. DOCCS has said changing the law would require legislative action.
Corrections officers say the discipline limits imposed by the HALT Act embolden some inmates to act out—including by assaulting COs.
The New York State Corrections Officers & Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA) issued a news release February 21 noting that a female CO at Mid-State Correctional Facility was assaulted “without any provocation” by an inmate serving a 14-year sentence for a conviction on burglary and rape charges—one of a dozen similar incidents that have taken place since November 1.
DOCCS also offered to not pursue disciplinary action against strikers “who immediately report to work today [February 20], before 11:59 p.m., regardless of the employee’s schedule or shift.”
But strikers were quick to point out that DOCCS said only that strikers would not receive a “Notice of Discipline.” Other forms of punishment, such as fines, have not been eliminated and a NYSCOPBA memo distributed after the DOCCS statement said the additional penalties would be addressed during mediation.
As the strike continued through the weekend, with officers braving a week of bitterly cold weather, several of the signs posted and carried by workers outside the Coxsackie facility on Route 9W read slogans such as “NYS Failed Us,” “We Demand A Safe Work Environment,” “This is Not Political Noise,” “Essential Not Expendable,” and “Please Keep My Daddy Safe.”
Last week, in the midst of the strike, inmates took over three dorms at the Collins facility in Erie County and held them for several hours before emergency response teams and other officers were able to retake control of the situation.
In response to the days-long strike, February 19, Governor Kathy Hochul activated the New York National Guard to help staff the facilities where workers are striking. More than 3,500 members of the state’s National Guard were called up that day, and more were expected to report for duty in the coming days if the issue is not resolved, the governor said February 19.
She called on striking corrections officers to go back on the job. As of February 24 the strike was still on.
“These disruptive and unsanctioned work stoppages by some correction officers must end as they are jeopardizing the safety of their colleagues, the prison population, and causing undue fear for the residents in the surrounding communities,” Governor Hochul said.
In addition to calling up the National Guard, she appointed an independent mediator to try to resolve the strike.
The union and the state are scheduled to meet for a series of mediation sessions this week. Some strikers have said the union has not been forceful enough in expressing the COs’ concerns and NYSCOPBA communications specialist James Miller has noted that the wildcat strike is “neither sanctioned nor condoned” by the union.
Retired CO Keven Smith, who has been acting as a spokesperson for the strikers because those still active say they are prohibited from speaking to the media, called the DOCCS offer to not pursue disciplinary action against strikers a “rope-a-dope” that only made the strikers more committed to their action.
The strikers will remain committed until the state makes a serious effort to address their concerns, he said.
Columbia County 911 dispatched the Lebanon Valley Task Force, February 21 at 9:44 a.m. for a reported barn fire at 4160 Route 9 in New Lebanon. The small building housed goats, chickens and ducks. It was reported that one goat, chickens and ducks perished in the fire. Pictured, a resident throws a shovelful of snow on the fire, just before firefighters start to hose down the structure. The Columbia County Fire Coordinators Office, New York State Police and Chatham Rescue were also on the scene. The alarm was terminated at 10:51 a.m./ RE Lindmark
New Yorkers urged to act now before REAL ID deadline
ALBANY—With less than four months until the federal REAL ID Act becomes enforceable, the NYS Department of Motor Vehicles encourages New Yorkers to make sure they are prepared. Beginning May 7, anyone going through airport security to fly domestically or attempting to enter secure federal facilities will be required to have a REAL ID or another form of compliant identification such as an Enhanced ID or Passport. For those who need to upgrade their state-issued ID before May 7, the DMV strongly encourages them to act now.
“You don’t want to wait until the last minute to get into the DMV if you still need a REAL ID or an Enhanced ID and you have upcoming travel plans. We do not yet know how the REAL ID Act will be enforced on May 7, so the best way to ensure smooth travel and avoid delays is to get to the DMV and upgrade your ID right away,” DMV Commissioner Mark J.F. Schroeder said in a press release.
Recently, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a notice of final rulemaking which confirms that REAL ID enforcement will begin May 7, however, the rule allows federal agencies to implement a phased approach to card-based enforcement for up to two years. Any federal agency that chooses a phased enforcement approach must publish the details of their plan on the agency’s website prior to May 7. They are also required to fully enforce the REAL ID Act no later than May 2027.
New Yorkers are encouraged to visit a DMV office as soon as possible to get a REAL ID or Enhanced ID, which is also acceptable for REAL ID purposes, even if their license, permit, or non-driver ID is not yet due for renewal. There is no additional cost to get a REAL ID beyond the regular renewal fee. An Enhanced ID costs $30 extra and can be used as identification when returning to the United States by land or sea from Canada, Mexico and some countries in the Caribbean.
Those getting a REAL ID or an Enhanced ID must visit a DMV office in person. They must bring certain original documents that prove who they are and to have a new picture taken. To make this process as easy as possible, the DMV offers several online tools such as a document guide and an online application pre-screening process to help New Yorkers prepare. These tools provide detailed instructions about which documents to bring to the DMV.
Many DMV offices strongly encourage customers to make a reservation, which can be done online. DMV has also issued guidance to help customers avoid the top five most common mistakes people make when seeking to get a REAL ID or Enhanced ID.
For more information about REAL ID and Enhanced IDs, visit the Enhanced or REAL ID webpage: dmv.ny.gov/driver-license/enhanced-or-real-id.
