National Guard sent in to 'secure' New York prisons where staff is on strike
NBC
Feb. 19, 2025, 4:18 PM EST
By Erik Ortiz
Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order Wednesday dispatching National Guard members to New York state prisons where corrections officers are holding unauthorized strikes.
The executive order, issued to guarantee "public order and protection of public property" at the facilities, also allows for corrections officers who are showing up to work to receive overtime pay and directs the state corrections department to bring in an independent mediator to help resolve the strike.
"These disruptive and unsanctioned work stoppages by some correction officers must end as they are jeopardizing the safety of their colleagues, the prison population, and causing undue fear for the residents in the surrounding communities," Hochul said in a statement.
More than 3,500 National Guard members reported for duty earlier Wednesday to assess the greater needs before issuing a larger deployment, the governor's office said in a news release announcing the action. The guard members will maintain general order in the prisons in addition to distributing meals and medication to the inmates, officials added.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/national-guard-sent-secure-new-york-prisons-staff-strike-rcna192695