The state fired roughly 2,000 COs who failed to return to work after the strike ended, and Governor Kathy Hochul signed an executive order stripping them of their certifications and banning them from working in government agencies, even at the county level. After receiving pushback, Hochul has since clarified that the ban expires on April 10 for local but not state government jobs.
Dutchess County Executive Sue Serino says the order was unfair to begin with. Speaking at the sheriff’s office in Poughkeepsie Monday, the Republican says they’re reaching out to fired COs anyway to offer them jobs at the county jail.
“Our union and our sheriff will protect them. Shame on the union and New York state, the leaders who did not protect these COs. That was awful," she adds. "It’s their job to protect their job and their safety. And they fell down, they didn’t do it.”
The three-week strike was not authorized by NYSCOPBA, although the corrections officers’ union stepped in to reach an agreement with the state. Those who returned to work after the deal were not punished for striking.
Still, several counties have expressed interest in the fired COs to plug their own staffing shortages. Oneida and Chemung County both filed lawsuits over the order, while Rensselaer County defied it by swearing in three COs Monday.
Dutchess County Sheriff Kirk Imperati says there are 14 vacancies at the county Justice and Transition Center in Poughkeepsie. He says the county is already talking to a few of the fired COs, and he feels Dutchess County has a lot to offer them.
“It’s a better work schedule, better quality of life for you and your family, competitive salaries," he says. "Their safety is my number-one priority, I want everybody to go home at the end of the day.”
Many of striking officers said they were struggling with mandated overtime and dangerous working conditions at state prisons. They called for the full repeal of the HALT Act, which restricts the use of solitary confinement as a disciplinary measure. In resolving the strike, the government agreed to address staffing shortages, reduce mandatory overtime, and start a commission examining HALT.
Advocates of the HALT Act have said it protects inmates from inhumane treatment, and that the strike aimed to distract from the death of inmate Robert Brooks, who was allegedly beaten to death by COs at Marcy Correctional Facility last year. Six employees have been charged with murder for the killing. During the strike, multiple inmates died, visitation shut down, and Hochul had to send in the National Guard to cover CO shifts across the state.
In a letter to the New York Association of Counties last weekend, Homeland Security Commissioner Jackie Bray said any of the fired COs will have to get re-certified as peace officers if they wish to work in local law enforcement. The course can be completed within their first year on the job. That said, Bray warned against taking them on, adding: “These individuals had a sworn responsibility to protect the public, their colleagues, and the incarcerated population. They willfully disregarded that responsibility.”
Dutchess County Officer Patrick Beal says some of the striking COs are his friends. He worked for Greenhaven Correctional Facility for nine years before moving to the county Justice and Transition Center last year. He says his quality of life has improved since, and he’s hoping some of his old colleagues follow his lead.
“It’s a lot safer of a work environment. I’m able to go home after an eight-hour shift most days," he smiles. "I do sign up for a lot of overtime, just to make up the loss in pay that I took. But everything has been great.”
