New York Correction Officers Strike Over Unsafe Conditions, Staffing Crisis

New York State correctional officers have been on strike since February 17, 2025, due to demands for safer working conditions and staffing shortages, particularly opposing the HALT Act, which limits solitary confinement. Governor Kathy Hochul is deploying over 3,500 National Guard troops to assist as 9-in-10 officers remain off duty. Mediation efforts are ongoing, with Hochul offering amnesty for returning officers and suspending elements of the HALT law, but many officers remain resolute in their demands for a complete repeal of the law. Reports indicate that correction officers have faced extreme working conditions, including shifts exceeding 16 hours, leading to heightened frustration and calls for better treatment. The strikes, considered illegal under Taylor’s Law, have affected 40 out of 42 state prisons. Union representatives assert that the situation is untenable, prompting a need for significant reforms in prison management and staff safety.