BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA), the union that represents corrections officers across the state, is calling for an "urgent meeting" with the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) over "critical workplace issues."
According to the union, there are issues affecting the safety, well-being, and working conditions of correctional officers, including:
- Staffing shortages
- Workplace conditions
- The implementation of 12-hour shifts
- Scheduled regular days off (RDOs)
- Vacation periods
The union said those and other issues have "reached a critical point" after the recent strike by corrections officers across the state.
The wildcat strike began on February 17 over what corrections officers claimed were unsafe working conditions inside state prisons.
On March 10, DOCCS Commissioner Daniel Martuscello announced the strike was over and the over 2,000 people who remained on strike and did not return to work received termination letters. At the time, the commissioner said there were over 10,000 security staff working or available to work in prisons across the state.
Earlier this week, according to a memo obtained by 7 News, DOCCS announced it would release some inmates early in response to the "current staffing crisis."
"Compounding the current work-place crisis, is the announcement by DOCCS Commissioner Martuscello on Monday to release potentially thousands of inmates up to 110 days prior to their earliest release date yet failing to address the long-standing issues that led to the labor strike and the firing of 2000 officers," NYSCOPBA said in a release.
7 News reached out to DOCCS for comment and received a response from Commissioner Martuscello, which said in part:
"DOCCS continues to diligently conduct the review of individual medical documentation as requested in the MOA, reintegrate individuals who had participated in the illegal strike, and institute many of the changes recommended by NYSCOPBA and its membership. President Summers requested a meeting via email on March 27th to discuss a number of issues including 12-hour shifts, seniority, vacation, temporary rebidding of facilities and re-opening plans. We informed President Summers that the request was premature and that we were following the 12 hour shifts as outlined in the MOA, including providing 2 RDO’s.
As NYSCOPBA is aware, both short term changes, many reflected in the March 8 MOA between DOCCS and NYSCOPBA, and changes implemented since the end of the strike, have been focused on the safety and security of staff. This includes the procurement of legal mail scanners which will begin to be deployed on April 11, 2025, engaging an independent analyst to conduct staffing plan reviews which began this week, holding the initial HALT Committee Review meeting, maintaining the 2.5 times overtime for all employees regardless of the date they returned to work, maintaining the HALT programming suspension for 90 days, and continuing the operational support by the National Guard, all information shared with the union in real time.
Beyond these steps, we have also begun implementation of a long-term vision for DOCCS around three key pillars – Recover, Recruit and Rebuild – with a focus squarely on solutions to many of the strike-related safety issues raised by line staff. NYSCOPBA’s leadership fails to acknowledge the significant actions that have been put in motion already since the end of the illegal job action, all of which are focused on the safety of the workforce. Not only do they fail to recognize the progress being made but they miss the fact that real change takes time and effort and is in no way advanced by angry press statements during a crisis. None of this is going to happen overnight and I am committed to long-term solutions that will create impactful change in the lives of our officers."
