Corrections officers hold strikes at Buffalo-area and Elmira-area prisons

NEW YORK STATE — Corrections officers are holding unsanctioned strikes at least two New York State prisons over working conditions.

The strikes at Collins Correctional Facility in Erie County and Elmira Correctional Facility in Chemung County began on Monday. It comes days after people incarcerated at Collins Correctional took over multiple dorms.

The NYS Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association union said that it did not authorize the strikes. In a statement, the union said:

“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.”

The NYS Department of Corrections and Community Supervision announced on Facebook that it’s canceling visitation at Elmira, Attica, Auburn, and Five Points correctional facilities until further notice. The organization called the strikes “unlawful”.

The statement went on to say “we are committed to engaging the union in order to return staff to work and resume normal operations at the two facilities.”