2,000 fired prison guards won't be hired by New York again, Hochul says
More than 2,000 New York prison guards who were fired for participating in an illegal wildcat strike won't be able to get another job with the state, Gov. Kathy Hochul said.
"There are consequences when people break the law, and that means you're not working in our state workforce, ever," Hochul said Tuesday.
Former officer speaks out
"I just want to affect change. Positive change, in whatever form that may be," fired correction officer Jelanie Sandiford said.
For Sandiford, a Bronx native, taking that stand for change meant risking the job he's held since graduating from the corrections academy in 2013. He was one of the approximately 2,000 officers fired for participating in the strike, and one of nearly 400 correction officers facing contempt charges.
"I know what I'm fighting for. I'm not going to be bullied, not going to be made a mockery of. So I will go to court. I will do what I have to do to prove the point that the state is not doing the right thing," Sandiford said.
The strikers complained prison discipline reforms have led to a dramatic spike in assaults in corrections officers. That's one reason recruiting has dropped, leading to mandatory overtime, including 24-hour shifts.
"I'm not going to be able to be the parent that I could, the father that I could be to my children, because I'm barely seeing them," Sandiford said. "Because I'm not even able to respond to them appropriately because I am so tired. Because I'm agitated, because I'm dealing with things I'm seeing in prison. These are the situations that we've tried to highlight for years and they haven't been addressed."
He says he'll live off his savings, but thinks ultimately the state may re-hire some of the people it fired.
About the strike
The strike lasted 22 days. It ended after the state and guards union struck a new deal that included the suspension of the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement Act, or HALT Act, for 90 days. The deal also included a reduction of 24-hour mandatory overtime, among other provisions.
More than 10,000 officers had returned to work, which is down from the approximately 13,500 who initially went on strike. Several thousand National Guard members are being used to shore up the staffing shortfall.
The strike, which was illegal under New York's Taylor Law prohibiting strikes by public employees, began on Feb. 17. Gov. Kathy Hochul warned of stiff repercussions for striking workers, including loss of health care, employment and possibly even prosecution.
A prison watchdog group said seven prisoners died during the strike, including Messiah Nantwi, whose death is being investigated by a special prosecutor.
