Gov. Hochul addresses corrections mediation agreement

ALBANY | On Friday, Gov. Kathy Hochul publicly addressed the ongoing correction officer strike and late-night mediation agreement between the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision and New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association. The agreement rescinds a poorly received 70/30 staffing memorandum and addressed some overtime and operational staffing issues, though it continues the highly controversial HALT Act- only offering a temporary suspension of programming elements while facilities work to transition back to normal operations the next 90 days. The current National Guard presence will also continue temporarily as the agreement called for officers and sergeants to return to work by March 1 in order to face no disciplinary action. Taylor Law fines will still be incurred. Word of the agreement sparked outrage among many of the estimated 12,000+ officers on strike. Many picket lines, including outside Clinton Correctional, remained strong Friday in response. Officers said the agreement failed to address significant safety concerns brought on by the HALT Act. Since the law took effect in 2022, there has been a well-documented and alarming 169 percent increase in inmate-on-inmate violence, a 76 percent increase in inmate-on-staff violence and 32 percent increase in contraband. As mediation was underway, dozens of officers took to social media to share personal accounts of extreme violence as video clips surfaced showing disturbing images of inmate-on-inmate brutality and on officers. In leaked video footage from inside Green Haven Correctional, a series of vicious attacks depicted how routine interactions turned savagely violent for officers, incarcerated victims and even a visitor left with serious injury. Routine violence has become the norm, officers said, putting not only themselves but those they're tasked to protect in grave and unpredictable danger. The HALT Act significantly limits the disciplinary process, resulting in an environment of continued chaos without penalty, officers have said about the day-to-day impacts and what they call a weakened and broken system. Officers said minimized penalties bring no recourse for discipline or addressing persistent offenses and offenders, fueling a clear and dangerous environment that risks the safety of all. After the agreement circulated overnight, many officers expressed outrage, saying it overlooked the core and highly documented safety issues, vowing to remain on strike or leave the profession entirely. Many facilities saw noticeably stronger picket lines Friday as outrage rippled across the state and officers were urged to 'hold the line', gaining support from fellow law enforcement across the nation, officers working inside, crime victims' families, and even families of incarcerated. Officers have said it is not a matter of politics, but bad policy with irrefutable evidence. They said the state and union's agreement does not solve the crisis, it just merely delays it. Until the state commits to genuine reforms, officers said, the problems that led to the strike will persist as they urged the state to return to negotiations with a genuine commitment to long-term solutions. On Friday, Assemblyman Matt Simpson said the fight isn't over. "It's not over...but it can be...If the Governor doesn't know what our COs are looking for, here is a start. Repeal HALT to reduce violence then establish a secure vendor program and statewide mandatory body scanners to stop the flow of illegal drugs and contraband from entering the facilities. We need safer prisons, a safer work environment, and assurances that any agreements or solutions aren't "temporary." Is that really too much to ask?!," Simpson said as he urged passage of several active bills looking to repeal HALT, secure the vendor program and make visitor body scans mandatory using equipment already available. Simpson referred to comments made by Gov. Hochul during mediation earlier this week when she suggested she and those involved were unsure what the officers' concerns were. Sen. Dan Stec also addressed those statements after he again presented the HALT Act for legislative action and a full repeal and it was shot down in a party-line vote. Sen. Stec later went to Gov. Hochul's Albany office and hand delivered three bills he sponsored - a repeal of HALT, a bill mandating mandatory body scanner use for inmates and visitors and legislation to create a secure vendor process - as well as every press release and correspondence he's sent to her and DOCCS concerning prison safety over the past three years. "At her office, I met with one of the governor's chief legislative aides and made it clear exactly why our COs are on strike and what needs to happen to make these facilities safe," Sen. Stec said. In the media event Friday, Gov. Hochul did not address the HALT Act, but said in full: " I'd like to make a statement about the situation with our Department of Corrections and the ongoing unauthorized prison strike. Throughout this entire crisis, my top priority has been public safety. The safety of the incarcerated population, the safety of the workers there, the safety of the correction officers and the safety of the community. Every single decision we have made has gone through that lens of what's best and what's safest for these communities. And I deployed every single resource to deal with this crisis, mobilizing the National Guard. And let me say how grateful I am to the National Guard. We have National Guardsmen in Guantanamo Bay, on battlefields, we have them in Greenland, on really important missions — but right now they've been pulled out of protecting critical assets, even our airports and subway systems, to have to be up here to deal with this situation. I'm grateful they have made that sacrifice. We also wanted to bring together people for mediation. The union representing the correction officers requested a mediator — requested a specific individual — and that person has been working really hard, and I appreciate his work as well: Mediator Marty Scheinman. And working with him, we've reached a consent award. Now this addresses many, many of the concerns raised by the correction officers. And I'll go through them. This will put the conditions back on safe operations. It respects the rights of incarcerated individuals and it prevents future unsanctioned work stoppages. We also share the goal with the union that 24-hour work shifts are too long. I understand this. These individuals work in tough, tough conditions. I know that, and I appreciate it. This is a lot of time away from their families. There's a lot of unpredictability. This is not an ideal situation. No one wants this. And we want to make sure that we are striving toward the goal of eliminating those shifts. This will take some time. Our ranks are down. We have many, many people out on workers comp on any given day. We need to get people back to work. We need to hire more people, and we're going to continue toward those goals. So this agreement that we came together with last evening, represents our commitment to creating safer work environments, which the correction officers absolutely deserve, ensures proper staffing and management of facilities and creates a framework going forward to address concerns as they arise. This resolution is just the beginning. We want to continue addressing systemic issues and make sure that the entire environment is safe for everyone involved, and protect the staff and incarcerated individuals. Now I have a lot of respect for the correction officers who dedicate themselves and their lives to public safety. This is a critical, critical function for all of us, and I'm grateful for those who have remained at work. And looking forward to the return of others who have taken the position they have over the last number of days. But we want them back at work and we hope that they will look very seriously at what, I believe, is a real win for the correction officers. So, I appreciate everybody involved." To read more about the consent agreement's terms and officers' reaction, visit our coverage earlier today here.

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Gov. Hochul addresses corrections mediation agreement

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