News 12 is hearing from state corrections officers who say they aren’t accepting the terms of New York’s deal with their union, NYSCOPBA, to return to work.
Leaked surveillance video allegedly shows a glimpse of the violence that prison workers say is happening daily inside prisons statewide, which caused them to strike. Violence against corrections officers and between inmates has spiked in recent years, according to officials.
The state’s offer to get corrections officers back on duty seemingly addresses some of these concerns. It includes suspending the solitary confinement reform act HALT, keeps the National Guard in prisons to help with staffing shortages and increases overtime rates. It also includes changes to how letters that appear to be legal mail are handled to help address contraband getting into prisons and overdoses.
High-profile civil rights attorney Michael Sussman sent a letter to the state mediator on behalf of some officers, saying they don’t trust their union to properly represent them.
NYSCOPBA says whether members accept the terms is an individual choice and that those remaining on strike are expected to be terminated by the state and face possible criminal action.
As of Friday, a large group of corrections officers protesting outside of Fishkill Correctional Facility in Dutchess County was reduced to a handful of people.
The union says it’s not clear how many corrections officers are expected to return to duty.