UPDATE: As corrections officers across New York continue to strike over what they claim are unsafe working conditions we will be posting any updates that become available on our website here.
ORIGINAL: More corrections officers at the Wende and Attica Correctional facilities walked off the job Tuesday morning, setting up strikes across from the facilities.
Their actions are in solidarity with workers striking at multiple correctional facilities across the state.
According to the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA), the union representing the officers, as of Wednesday afternoon, there are about 30 correctional facilities in which "officers/sergeants are participating in either protesting current working conditions inside the prisons or refusing to enter for their scheduled shift."
NYSCOPBA said it has not sanctioned or condoned these actions and several facilities are not participating and are operating normally.
I spoke with the families and supporters of these officers on Tuesday, they are raising their voices in frustration over unsafe conditions.
"Enough is enough," they said, demanding urgent changes to how officers are treated and protected.
Jenna Kowtun, a former Attica correctional officer, joined the strike to speak out against the challenges she faced during her time working at the maximum-security prison.
Kowtun knows what it is like to be on a 16-hour mandated shift and described the fear she felt while on the job.
"Every single day I walk in there, I can't do that, it's terrifying," Kowtun said, recalling her harrowing experiences.
Kowtun, who has friends and family working inside the facility, including her husband, voiced her deep concerns for their safety.
"I don't know if my husband is going to come home at night and that's unacceptable," Kowtun said.
The officers' concerns are not just about long hours and dangerous environments and said they are very concerned about becoming targets of violent attacks.
"We've had enough of getting stabbed and feces thrown at us and sexually assaulted. We're done with that. No more can this happen,” said Kowtun.
As the strikes grow in number and intensity, former Wende officer Daniel Bauer, who resigned after 34 years, explained the conditions inside the prison.
"It's just — it's warfare in there," Bauer explained.
Bauer blamed the HALT Act for creating an environment where inmates are not penalized for violent behavior toward officers.
"The inmates do not get penalized for doing anything to officers who became punching bags," Bauer said. "They were let out the next day to go to get into more fights."
Dominick Costanzo, another former Wende guard with 34 years of service, expressed frustration with the lack of effective solutions from the state.
"And their solution to everything is to give them coloring books and crayons and they can color so they don't have all that aggression," he said. "It doesn't work."
Costanzo, Bauer, and others are calling on Governor Kathy Hochul to take action.
"My message to her would be – make the environment safe for not just the COs – the nurses, the staff – make it safe," Costanzo urged.
Bauer agreed and stressed the need for change.
"They have to improve things, nobody is ever going to take this job," Bauer said. "These guys are in fear for their lives going in there.”
Keyes Bonds, a former Wende corrections officer, shared his experience, saying, "I used to love coming to work...you know...it was safe for everybody...we had enough staff and everything.”
In a powerful moment of reflection, I spoke to another corrections officer, who wished to remain anonymous but revealed he is retiring after 25 years of service. He said he is no longer confident in a job he liked and he's doing it for the sake of his family.
The strike at Wende and Attica, and across other facilities, underscores a growing movement among corrections officers who are demanding more safety from state leadership.
Early on Tuesday DOCCS issued a statement in response to the strike as well as a response to a series of demands from the striking officers. You can read the statement and the responses to the demands here.
In response to the strike, Governor Kathy Hochul announced she has signed an executive order activating members of the New York National Guard "to help ensure the safety and security of New York State's correctional facilities" while the strike continues. You can read more here.
