New Agreement with N.Y. Correction Officers Ends 11-Day Strike

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Corrections Officers at Multiple N.Y. State Prisons Go on Strike

Corrections officers at prisons in Buffalo and Auburn have gone on strike, despite the union representing the officers not sanctioning the strikes, which are illegal for government employees.

N.Y. Governor Calls on National Guard to Staff Prisons in Wake of Strike

"The illegal and unlawful actions being taken by a number of correction officers must end immediately," said New York Gov. Kathy Hochul after state corrections officers went on strike.

An agreement has been reached to end the 11-day New York correction officer strike — if workers follow a judge's temporary restraining order and return to their posts by Saturday.

After four days of mediation, the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision and the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association agreed to terms on several issues to address the officers' safety and workplace concerns.

DOCCS will suspend portions of the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement Act, known as HALT, for 90 days. When the suspension is over, the department will use a "circuit breaker" metric to determine whether facilities are at appropriate staffing levels.

The agreement contains confirmation that DOCCS has rescinded a Feb. 10 memo classifying 70% as full staffing levels in state prisons.

Overtime changes are also part of the pact. DOCCS and NYSCOPBA agreed to "minimize and work towards eliminating anyone working 24-hour mandatory overtime." Many officers have complained about working extended shifts due to the current staffing shortage. If an officer is mandated to work a 24-hour shift, there will be a review of that scheduling action.

For the first 30 days after the agreement, the state committed to paying a 2.5 overtime rate.

Correction officers at Auburn Correctional Facility hold the line on the third day of their strike to protest unsafe working conditions.

The department will not discipline officers who participated in the strike but return to work by Saturday. However, the agreement does not include any fines for violating the Taylor Law. State law prohibits public employee strikes and violators can be fined two days' pay for every day they are on the picket line.

The National Guard will remain at correctional facilities while correction officers begin returning to work. Gov. Kathy Hochul activated the National Guard and deployed more than 6,500 troops to state prisons.

Martin Scheinman, the independent mediator who oversaw the process that began Monday, explained that the consent award could be confirmed as a court order, but that's not an option while striking officers are defying a temporary restraining order. A judge issued the order last week requiring the officers to return to work.

Scheinman agreed to sign the agreement if DOCCS and NYSCOPBA confirm that officers are complying with the court order.

"Working with a mediator, we have reached a consent award to address many of the concerns raised by correction officers, put DOCCS back on the path to safe operations, respect the rights of incarcerated individuals and prevent future unsanctioned work stoppages," Hochul said.

The strike began Feb. 17 at three prisons. A day later, the protests spread to most correctional facilities.

Correction officers went on strike due to unsafe working conditions. Their concerns include mandated overtime and prison violence that reached record levels in 2024. They provided a list of demands to DOCCS that included repealing HALT and suggestions to boost recruitment amid a correction officer shortage.

NYSCOPBA did not sanction the strike. Nearly 90% of its members participated in the walkout, according to DOCCS.

Hochul criticized the strike as "illegal and unlawful," while urging correction officers to return to work. The National Guard provided security inside prisons, while the state police handled perimeter security at some facilities.

Federal and state officials, mostly Republicans, supported the correction officer strike. Democratic state senators who represent districts with prisons, including Auburn-area state Sen. Rachel May, released a statement calling for safer working conditions in correctional facilities.

When Hochul issued an executive order to respond to the strike, she announced the state retained Scheinman as a mediator. Mediation was scheduled to begin Tuesday, but NYSCOPBA requested an earlier start. The sessions were moved up to Monday.

In a statement, Scheinman described the relationship between DOCCS, NYSCOPBA and the workforce as "strained."

"No single issue, law or policy entirely explains the current situation," he said. "It is obvious this erosion did not happen all at once. Simply stated, anyone observing these meetings would readily observe the parties' good faith and enormous commitment to finding workable solutions for workforce."

Yet, he added, "the parties are concerned that promises will not be kept."

With the consent award, Scheinman is seeking to have a binding agreement that becomes a court order. Under a court order, failure to comply would result in sanctions.

But the fate of the consent award will depend on whether the rank-and-file officers agree to end their walkout. Scheinman doesn't believe the court will enforce an agreement while workers are engaged in an illegal strike.

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