Latest on prison staff strikes: Negotiations set to resume Wednesday afternoon

NEW YORK STATE — Negotiations are expected to resume Wednesday at 1 p.m. between the union representing corrections officers and New York State leaders, aiming to end the ongoing strikes.

This will be the third straight day of negotiations involving a third-party mediator to help reach a deal. The union, the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association, says there was progress on several issues on Tuesday.

The strikes have entered their 10th day at several state prisons, with staff demanding higher staffing levels, no mandated overtime over 16 hours, and increased measures to keep them safe. The union has not authorized the strikes and the state has called the strikes illegal.

Gov. Kathy Hochul spoke about the strikes on Tuesday, saying they put incarcerated people and staff who continue to work at risk.

“The fact that there were prisons left unguarded, think about that. The incarcerated population was left unguarded. There were people from other unions, people who work in health care, and the commissary, who were left unprotected by these actions,” she said.

Hochul has deployed thousands of National Guard members to work at prisons while the strikes last. Hochul said she’s grateful for the “law-abiding” correction officers who are still working during the strike.

News10NBC spoke with a mother whose son is serving a 6-year prison term at Orleans Correctional Facility in Albion amid the strikes. We also spoke with prison staff and their families at Groveland Correctional Facility in Livingston County.

One issue that striking prison staff have spoken out against is the HALT Act, citing a rise in assaults on staff since it was implemented in 2022. The NYS Department of Corrections and Community Supervision has suspended parts of the HALT Act, which limits solitary confinement to 15 straight days. It also bans solitary for pregnant people, those with disabilities, and anyone older than 55 or younger than 21.

Hochul has added an amendment to her state budget proposal for next year that seeks the closure of up to five prisons. It’s unclear which facilities would be on the chopping block. In the last two decades, more than 20 prisons have closed and the incarcerated population has dropped from more than 70,000 to just over 33,000.