Corrections officers in Elmira went on strike Monday, joining their colleagues at Collins Correctional Facility who have been on strike since Sunday.
State Senator Tom O’Mara said the state’s correctional system is clearly in crisis. The Elmira Correctional Facility is in O’Mara’s district.
“It has been continually building and growing worse, as many of us have warned, over the past decade of rapid prison closures, increasingly dangerous and demanding working conditions inside prisons, drastic workforce reductions, and the enactment of the HALT Act and other failed policies out of Albany,” said Senator O’Mara. ” We need a comprehensive overhaul of safety and security within the system, beginning with the immediate repeal of HALT, for correctional officers, staff and inmates alike, and it needs to be made a priority. The recent, fatal beating of Robert Brooks at the Marcy Correctional Facility in Onondaga County was appalling and disgusting, and it must and will be dealt with through our justice system. What took place there in no way represents the conduct of the vast majority of correctional officers and staff within the Elmira Correctional Facility and facilities throughout the state where officers and staff go to work every day to undertake the duties and responsibilities they’re charged with diligently, professionally, and respectfully. Governor Hochul and the Democrat-led State Legislature must also, finally, pay serious and meaningful attention to the concerns that have been raised, for years now, by the officers and staff concerned for their personal safety, the overall security of their facilities, and the future of their families and loved ones.”
A spokesperson for the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association also released a statement:
NYSCOPBA is keenly aware of the current situation at both Collins and Elmira Correctional Facilities. The staff that have gathered outside of both facilities and who refused to enter the facility for their respective shifts, was not in any way sanctioned by NYSCOPBA.
At both facilities, staff chose to not enter for their work shifts as a result of their discontentment with current working conditions.
NYSCOPBA will continue to monitor both situations and all inquiries on current staffing levels at both facilities should be directed to DOCCS.
As the situation evolves, we will keep you updated as best as possible.
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