COLLINS, N.Y. (WKBW) — In February, corrections officers across New York State took part in a wildcat strike over what they claimed were unsafe working conditions inside state prisons.
In response to the strike, Governor Kathy Hochul signed an executive order activating members of the New York Army National Guard "to help ensure the safety and security of New York State's correctional facilities" while the strike continued.
In March, 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.
Updated numbers from the National Guard show very little change since April in the number of soldiers actively working inside state prisons, although the strike has been over for months.
WATCH: National Guard soldiers still working in New York prisons, 5 months after corrections officers' strike
The National Guard told me that 3,000 soldiers remain on the voluntary “DOCCS (Department of Corrections and Community Supervision) personnel mission.”
That is only 115 fewer soldiers than the 3,115 that were working in the prisons as of April.
At the end of March, Governor Kathy Hochul's office told reporters the National Guard presence in prisons was costing the state "well over $100 million per month."
“Certainly, post a prison strike, we have new costs that will come on to the state budget for provisioning the National Guard on a day-to-day basis. Those interventions alone are costing us well over $100M per month that we did not envision so that's a necessary input to this process as well.”
The state pays every one of those soldiers special duty pay of "$2,000 every two weeks," on top of their military pay and basic allowance housing.
The March agreement between the State and the corrections officers’ union that eventually ended the strike said, “The National Guard will remain in a support posture and begin to draw down as staff return to work.”
Almost five months since the strike ended, soldiers are still active as prisons continue searching for more workers.
Commissioner Martuscello announced additional recruitment efforts, including, but not limited to:
- Regional Recruitment
- $3,000 sign-on bonus for new officers
- Retention bonuses based on seniority
- $3,000/person referral bonus
The National Guard is under the Governor's discretion. It is unclear how much longer they will remain inside state prisons.
