ALBANY, N.Y. — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a stark warning to thousands of corrections officers still on strike, urging them to return to work or risk losing their jobs, healthcare — and potentially, their freedom.
The illegal strike, which began on Feb. 17 over staffing and safety concerns, continues at 32 correctional facilities statewide despite a tentative deal brokered on Feb. 27, CBS News New York reports. While 2,000 officers have returned to work, more than 8,000 remain on the picket line, according to the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
“They are in violation of the law,” Hochul said. “We have laws on the books that are supposed to protect us in these situations. They need to get back to work because they have created a dangerous situation for the other corrections officers who lived up to their duty and their oaths.”
Staffing at Elmira, Attica and Wende correctional facilities in Western New York has been among the hardest hit, state and union officials said.
“You could be going to jail”
As the strike enters its third week, Hochul reinforced the consequences officers could face.
“They’ve created very unsafe circumstances,” she said. “We’ve warned them day after day after day. Your healthcare is gone, people are going to be arrested, you could be going to jail. You’ve lost your job, you’ve lost your income — you’ve lost everything.”
So far, fewer than 10 officers have been fired, but more termination notices are expected this week.
Protests at the state Capitol
Amid the labor unrest, hundreds of corrections officers and their families gathered at the state Capitol on March 4 in a show of opposition to the tentative agreement, according to WSKG. It marked the largest rally of corrections officers and supporters in Albany since the strike began, underscoring frustration that the deal — and threats of termination — have not swayed many to return.
Rallygoers argued the agreement failed to address key concerns, including work conditions and the repeal of the HALT Act, which limits the use of solitary confinement.
“Two things must happen: The HALT Act must be repealed. Kathy Hochul must resign,” Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin told the cheering crowd.
The event, which was not organized by the union, drew state Republican lawmakers who criticized Hochul and Democratic leadership for their handling of the crisis. Civil rights attorney Michael Sussman, who has been providing legal counsel to striking officers, emceed the rally and condemned the tentative deal as insufficient, WSKG reports.
“Changes need to be made yesterday,” Sussman said, directing his remarks at Hochul and Albany Democrats. “You cannot ignore and brush aside the valid needs of your workforce.”
Sussman, along with New York State Sen. Tom O’Mara, pointed to the HALT Act as a central issue. Since its passage in 2021, the law has placed strict limits on how long incarcerated individuals can be held in solitary confinement, according to WSKG. Striking officers argue these restrictions prevent them from properly disciplining violent individuals.
O’Mara called the law part of an “onslaught of pro-criminal, anti-cop, anti-law enforcement legislation since 2019, starting with bail reform and culminating in the HALT Act. It is bad, it is dangerous for law enforcement at all levels, it is dangerous for society everywhere.”
Sussman echoed those concerns, saying the tentative deal falls short. He argued that it does not fully ban 24-hour overtime shifts — a key demand of corrections officers — or ensure higher starting salaries, improved security measures for incoming packages and visitors, or protections from fines.
“There are many, many issues that are not even broached, let alone rightfully addressed in the agreement,” Sussman said.
Officers say conditions are “inhumane”
For striking officers, the core issue remains safety.
Joe Brink, who works at Otisville Correctional Facility in Orange County, attended the rally with his father, a retired corrections officer. Brink told WSKG that he was choked by an incarcerated individual in 2023, resulting in an umbilical hernia. He told WSKG that he loves his job but refuses to work under what he describes as unsafe conditions.
“I was part of a large group of people who walked off because of the inhumane conditions they put us through,” Brink said.
Brink told WSKG that he was informed through phone calls and text messages that he had been fired and lost his health insurance. However, he has yet to receive an official termination letter, and supervisors at Otisville have indicated he would be welcome back if he chose to return.
Despite Hochul’s warnings and the growing number of termination notices, the strike continues with no clear resolution in sight.
