New York officials fired more than 2,000 prison guards on Monday for not returning to work after a weekslong strike.
Many correctional officers had gone back to work, leading the state to announce the end of the wildcat strike, which was a labor action against a state law that banned strikes by most public workers.
During a virtual press briefing, Corrections Commissioner Daniel Martuscello stated, “After an unlawful strike lasting 22 days, the governor and I are pleased to announce its conclusion.”
Although the state and the union representing the guards, the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association, had agreed to a new deal to stop the strike over the weekend, it was dependent on a minimum of 85% of the staff returning by Monday morning. Despite not reaching the 85% threshold, Martuscello confirmed that the state would uphold certain aspects of the agreement, particularly regarding overtime duties.
Officers at the Auburn Correctional Facility continue to hold the line on the third day of their strike to protest unsafe working conditions in Auburn, New York, on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. (AP)
A special prosecutor is also probing the March 1 death of an inmate, 22-year-old Messiah Nantwi, at Mid-State Correctional Facility. Other inmates said Nantwi was brutally beaten by correctional officers, and 15 staffers have been placed on administrative leave after the inmate’s death.
According to a court filing by the state attorney general’s office, there is “probable cause to believe” that as many as nine correctional officers either caused or could be implicated in Nantwi’s death.
Mid-State is across the street from the Marcy Correctional Facility, where six guards have been charged with murder in the December beating death of Robert Brooks.
Another inmate, 61-year-old Jonathon Grant, was pronounced dead last month after he was found unresponsive in his cell at the Auburn Correctional Facility amid the ongoing labor strike, although it is unclear if prison staffing played a role in his death.
Correction officers at Auburn Correctional Facility picket on the third day of their strike to protest unsafe working conditions, on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, in Auburn, New York. (AP)
The strike was not sanctioned by the officers’ union.
Two previous deals that sought to end the strike failed to bring back enough guards to declare an end to the labor action.
As was included in the previous agreements, the deal reached over the weekend addresses a key complaint of the guards by issuing a 90-day suspension of a provision of a state law that limits the use of solitary confinement. During the pause, the state will evaluate if reinstating the law would create an unreasonable risk to staff and inmate safety.
Guards will also work 12-hour shifts and the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision will not discipline officers who participated in the strike if they returned by the Monday deadline.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
