Commissioner: Remaining prison strikers terminated
'The governor and I are happy to report it has now ended,' Martuscello said Monday afternoon via a Zoom news conference with media from across the state.
'We have welcomed over 5,000 correction officers and correction sergeants back, including over 1,200 today. We now have over 10,000 security staff working or available to work in our prisons across the state, and we're going to move forward with this team after four different agreements and numerous communications outlining the potential consequences associated with this illegal strike.'
Martuscello said termination letters have been sent to over 2,000 people who remained on strike, officers and sergeants who did not have pre-approved medical leave and did not return by the Monday 6:45 a.m. deadline. They have been terminated effective immediately, he said.
The state and the officer's union, the New York State Correction Officers Police Benevolent Association, reached a deal this past Saturday that called for at least 85 percent of the workforce to return to work by Monday.
'While we did not meet the threshold for return to work to trigger the deal that was negotiated between the state and NYSCOPBA, I'm still committed to providing some of the critical changes and benefits to my employees, to support our workforce,' Martuscello said.
'The governor and I are committing to honor the March 6 memorandum of understanding, including the HALT committee, the 90-day HALT program suspension, the 12-hour shifts that will be maintained during this emergency as we continue our transition, 2.5 times overtime for 30 days from March 6 for all strike related staff, the Civil Service reevaluation of the reallocation for both titles of correction officer and correction sergeants to be completed within two months, no discipline under the collective bargaining agreement.'
Taylor Law penalties will remain in place, he said.
The state will also continue to rescind the commissioner's memo regarding a reduction in staff to 70 percent, and it will pursue legal mail scanning to ensure that they can cut off contraband coming into the system and make for a safer work environment.
Also, the National Guard will remain in place in a support position under the governor's direction, and health insurance that was suspended for officers and their families will be reinstated immediately upon the staff's return to work.
The state will also allow employees to purchase health insurance covering the full state share and employee share to the first day of the (strike) when the health insurance was terminated.
RECOVER, REBUILD
'It's time to recover, rebuild and recruit,' Martuscello said.
Martuscello said that as of Monday, there were about 10,000 correction officers out of the roughly 13,500 officers that were working before the strike that had come back to work.
He said prisons will be maintained by utilizing 12-hour shifts to ensure that people aren't working 24-hour shifts and begin to slowly reopen and get back to a 'new normal.'
'I want to talk directly to my employees,' he said.
'I want you to know that I heard you. Your safety, your family, your work-life balance are important to me, and I'm committed to continue to listen to your voices as we move forward. It is time to turn the page.'
Martuscello said the state will start with 'a high-energy recruitment campaign moving forward with a clear focus on stabilizing and resuming operations while ensuring safety and security in our facilities.'
'At the same time, we're launching an aggressive recruitment and rebuilding campaign aimed at restructuring and strengthening DOCCS. We are committed to building a dedicated, resilient workforce and attracting the next generation of correctional leaders.'
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