2 NY prisons thrown into chaos as corrections officers launch illegal strike after violent uprising

Two upstate prisons were thrown into chaos Monday when corrections officers launched illegal strikes to protest their work conditions after a violent uprising at one of the facilities last week.

The disruptive work stoppages — which are illegal under New York law and could lead to severe consequences for individuals and unions that participate in them — occurred at the state prisons in Collins and Elmira and triggered a cancellation of visitation.

The medium-security Collins prison was put in lockdown last week when uprising inmates injured three guards — as workers’ gripes about understaffing and mandatory overtime swirled.

Staffers there were said to also be alarmed about a recent agency memo suggesting a reduction in positions.

“The job actions initiated by some rogue NYSCOPBA [NYS Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association] members at Collins and Elmira Correctional Facilities this morning are illegal and unlawful,” said Department of Corrections and Community Supervision spokesman Thomas Mailey in a statement.

“We are committed to engaging the union in order to return staff to work and resume normal operations at the two facilities,” the DOCCS rep said. “Visitation at both facilities have been cancelled until further notice.”

NYSCOPBA insisted it did not sanction the illegal job actions at Collins and the maximum-security Elmira.

“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,” the union said in a statement.

“At both facilities, staff chose to not enter for their work shifts as a result of their discontentment with current working conditions.”

At least one upstate lawmaker is backing the officers’ uprising.

“The dangerous and deteriorating working conditions within our state prisons have reached a crisis point,” said state Sen. George Borrello (R-Jamestown) in a statement.

“These unsafe environments have led to countless injuries among the corrections staff, severely impacting both their physical well-being and morale.

“The overworked, underappreciated personnel continue to face daily hazards, all while enduring the incompetence of a governor who fails to act and a legislature that, driven by pro-criminal policies, offers no relief,” he said.

The current contract with the union’s 17,000 members, negotiated with Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration last year, runs through March 31, 2026.

The work stoppage comes during an especially turbulent few months for the corrections system.

At least one indictment is expected this week on charges related to the appalling murder of inmate Robert Brooks at Marcy Correctional Facility near Utica late last year, according to the Albany Times Union.

State lawmakers grilled DOCCS Commissioner Daniel Martuscello last week about the case, demanding some sort of action in response to Brooks’ death at the hands on prison guards. Some critics have even called for the complete closure of Marcy Correctional.

Brooks’ father, Robert Ricks, visited Albany last week and testified before lawmakers to demand justice for his son’s brutal death.

The corrections union fumed last year when DOCCS shut down two prisons.

State lawmakers and Hochul paved the way for as many as five closures last year as part of state budget talks.