New York’s Illegal Prison Guard Strike Challenges Law Limiting the Use of Solitary Confinement
A prison guard strike across New York, which has sent many state-wide correctional facilities into chaos, may soon see some officers exchanging their positions of authority for a cell themselves if they are not able to cement a new agreement.
Guards mobilized the strike, which began February 17, in response to working conditions they say are untenable. A deal reached last week sought to address those concerns: It limited mandatory 24-hour overtime shifts, which officers say had gotten out of control in response to staff shortages, and temporarily suspended a law that hamstrings the use of solitary confinement, particularly as it pertains to placing prisoners in isolation for long stretches of time.
Last week’s deal also pledged not to discipline officers who returned to work by the deadline, which passed on Saturday.Â
Many declined to oblige, especially in upstate and western New York. “They are in violation of the law,” Democratic Gov. Kathy Hocul said Tuesday, referring to New York’s Taylor Law, passed in 1967, which permits public unionization and collective bargaining but curtails strikes by public emp
Article from Reason.com
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