A central provision of New York state law — its prohibition on public-employee strikes — is at risk of breaking into pieces, as Gov. Hochul frantically tries to tape the shards back together.
Corrections officers at a pair of upstate prisons refused to enter for their scheduled shifts Monday morning, following a violent uprising by inmates at one of the facilities a week earlier.
By Tuesday, COs at up to 20 other state prisons had also walked off the job, according to reports.
Strikes have never been allowed in New York’s public sector (outside of commuter rails subject to federal law). They are prohibited by the 1967 Public Employees’ Fair Employment Act, commonly known as the Taylor Law, which modified older prohibitions.
Hochul waited more than 24 hours before speaking out about the strike (her initial response was to direct journalists to press officers at the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision).
On Tuesday afternoon, she said she will deploy the National Guard if COs aren’t back on the job by Wednesday, and will “take the appropriate disciplinary action as necessary.”
MORE:
https://nypost.com/2025/02/18/opinion/timid-hochul-invites-havoc-as-wildcat-prison-strikes-spread/