New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has alerted the state's National Guardsmen to get ready to staff correction facilities if an ongoing strike isn't resolved by Wednesday, as current prison guards walk out following record numbers of assaults by inmates and worker shortages.
Staff at prisons across the Empire State began striking, walking off the job and protesting their working conditions late this week outside of their union's guidance, prompting the governor to ready the National Guard to step into their roles.
"We will not allow these individuals to jeopardize the safety of their colleagues, incarcerated people, and the residents of communities surrounding our correctional facilities," Hochul said in a statement from her office. "I have directed my administration to meet with union leadership to resolve this situation and have also ordered the National Guard be mobilized to secure our correctional facilities in the event it is not resolved by [Wednesday]."
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Hochul's use of the National Guard to respond to the shortage of prison guards in the state follows larger trends in recent years that Military.com has reported on in which the reserve component has been used to fill a wide range of jobs, including security in New York City subways, bus drivers and even substitute teachers.
Retired Col. Richard Goldenberg, a spokesman for the New York National Guard, confirmed to Military.com in a phone interview Wednesday that the state's Army and Air National Guards were preparing, but added the governor "would make any announcement upon actual employment or utilization."
Visitations at many of the state's prisons were being canceled as recently as Wednesday morning amid the ongoing strikes and protests, the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision posted on Facebook.
The statewide strikes by prison guards come amid record numbers of cases in which inmates have harmed staff, the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association -- the union that represents the workers, known as NYSCOPBA -- said in a letter earlier this year.
In 2024 alone, there were upward of 2,070 assaults on staff, marking a new one-year record, the union said.
"In a five-year period ending in 2024, assaults on staff have doubled since 2020 and inmate-on-inmate assaults have almost tripled, continuing a trend of rising violence inside state prisons amidst staffing shortages and mandatory overtime forcing officers to work long shifts with little notice or relief in sight," the January 30 letter says.
Notably, the strike was not sanctioned by the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association, according to a letter obtained by the local NBC affiliate.
"NYSCOPBA denounces all strikes, job actions, slowdowns, call-ins and other similar actions. NYSCOPBA calls for any plans and actions to cease immediately," the letter obtained by NBC 5 said.
Negotiations were ongoing Wednesday morning, and the union said in a letter that the workers' demands had been submitted, adding that the notion of sending the National Guard to fill those roles caused concern, New York's Spectrum News 1 reported.
"We are also closely monitoring Gov. Hochul's recent announcement that she is activating the National Guard," the letter read, according to Spectrum News 1. "This will inevitably impact job duties within the facility and NYSCOPBA will work to ensure that members' swaps, bids, leave and other rights are preserved for those who are still working in our jails."
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