Government Response
Governor Kathy Hochul signed an executive order deploying National Guard members to prisons to maintain order amid unauthorized strikes by corrections officers, aiming to ensure "public order and protection of public property".
The state filed for an injunction under state labor law to halt the strikes, with a judge granting a temporary restraining order. Hochul emphasized the illegality of the strikes and the necessity of National Guard intervention.
Union and Officer Demands
Corrections officers, striking over staffing shortages and unsafe conditions, demand safer working environments, more stringent security checks, and higher pay. The union claims the strikes are unsanctioned, seeking negotiations with the governor's office.
The officers' grievances include opposition to the 2022 HALT act, limiting solitary confinement, and demands for better pay and working conditions. Union representatives and state officials are in negotiations, seeking a resolution.