Photo by Tom Rivers: These signs are displayed today on Route 31 near the State School Road leading to the Albion Correctional Facility.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 February 2025 at 2:50 pm
The mediator trying to resolve a strike among corrections officers at state prisons has moved up the meetings to negotiate by a day.
The talks were scheduled to be Tuesday through Thursday but will now start on Monday, said Martin F. Scheinman Esq., the mediator.
He will be leading meetings between the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association (the union for corrections officers) and representatives from Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, including Daniel Martuscello, the DOCCS commissioner; and representatives from the state Office of Employee Relations.
“At the initial meeting today, February 21, 2025, NYSCOPBA pressed for formal mediation to start more quickly,” Scheinman said in a statement. “Based upon NYSCOPBA’s arguments, I suggested it was a good idea to begin earlier and the Commissioner of DOCCS; and his Chief of Staff, and the Director of OER, readily agreed. Therefore, the formal mediation will begin Monday, February 24, 2025.”
Corrections officers went on strike on Monday at Elmira and Collins prisons, and by Tuesday that had spread to more than 20 prisons, including Albion and Orleans. More than 30 of the state’s 42 prisons have COs on strike.
Gov. Kathy Hochul issued an executive order and deployed the National Guard to help staff the prisons during the strike.
Photo by Tom Rivers: A sign partially buried in the snow along Route 31 declares “On Strike.” The Albion Correctional Facility is in the background on State School Road. The National Guard arrived today to help with staffing at the prison as a strike among corrections officers moved into its third day at both Albion and Orleans correctional facilities.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 February 2025 at 8:55 pm
A mediator hired by Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office and a union representing state corrections officers will work with both sides “to quickly and equitably resolve the strike” at numerous prions in the state, said the mediator, Martin F. Scheinman, Esq.
A statement from Scheinman was released to the media by New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association, the union for corrections officers.
Scheinman met by Zoom videoconferencing with both sides on Wednesday. He said he and his team will set “an aggressive mediation schedule to discuss numerous outstanding issues fueling the strike.”
Both parties will meet to present an overview of initial positions and issues. Three days of mediation shall be conducted from Feb. 25-27, with additional days scheduled if needed.
The following mediation teams will attend: NYSCOPBA – President Chris Summers, Executive Vice President Matt Keough, and attorneys William P. Golderman, Gregory T. Myers and Keith R. Jacques. The State of New York – Office of Employee Relations Director Michael Volforte and DOCCS Commissioner Daniel Martuscello.
“I am confident this mediation process can help the parties open a constructive dialogue to move towards resolution of their differences,” Scheinman said. “I look forward to working with both teams to ensure a fair and thoughtful discussion of their concerns takes place.”
Martuscello, the DOCCS commissioner, has urged the corrections officers on strike to return to work by 11:59 p.m. today and they won’t be penalized for being on strike. Those returning to work will be eligible for overtime at a 2.5 times rate during the current emergency due to the strike.
The commissioner also said part of the HALT Act would be suspended during the emergency.
Corrections officers have made rescinding the HALT Act a focus of the strike. That law went into effect in 2022 and limits the use of segregated confinement as well as prohibits that kind of confinement for anyone who is pregnant, living with a disability, or is either over the age of 55 or under 21.
Officers say it has resulted in more violence in the prison from incarcerated people towards staff and other inmates because there is less concern about punishment.
Corrections officers also there is too much mandatory overtime keeping officers away from their families. Many of the COs said they are working 80 hours a week. They want more COs to be hired.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 February 2025 at 11:28 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Patty Coffee, director of PAWS Animal Shelter in Albion, accepted a $1,300 donation today from the great-grandchildren of the late Judy Grabowski. From left the great-grandchildren include Caleb, Leah and Eli Prior of Hilton.
The money came from a Super Bowl Square fundraiser with some of the players donating extra for PAWS. There are 100 squares in the fundraiser and each square is $10, but many gave more than that to support the animal shelter on Gaines Basin Road.
The money nearly doubled the $685 the family was able to donate last year from the fundraiser.
The donation was presented today by Grabowski’s family on what would have been her 87th birthday. PAWS was one of her favorite organizations to give to, said her daughter, Elizabeth Pera of Hamlin.
Grabowski was known as “Mema” to the great-grandchildren. She was a Holley resident who donated often to PAWS in memory of friends who passed away, and as memorials for pets in the family that also passed.
Coffee said the donation would likely go towards vet bills for the animals or towards utilities for heating and electricity. There are currently 12 dogs and 12 cats available for adoption at PAWS.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 February 2025 at 8:48 am
Provided photos
ALBION – National Guard members arrived in Albion this morning just before 8:30 and headed to the Orleans Correctional Facility to help staff the prison where many of the corrections officers are on strike for the third day.
The National Guard will be assisting at Orleans and Albion correctional facilities. Gov. Kathy Hochul mobilized the National Guard after strikes at more than 30 of the state’s prisons. She said the strikes are illegal work stoppages due to the Taylor Law which doesn’t allow public employees to go on strike.
“National Guard members will support and supplement current correctional staff on site to ensure safety and security with tasks including distributing meals and medication to incarcerated individuals and help maintain general order and wellness in the facilities,” according to a news release from the Governor’s Office on Wednesday. “Additional members are expected to report for duty in the coming hours and days.”
About 3,500 National Guard members have been deployed to prisons around the state following an executive order from Hochul.
The governor has approved additional overtime compensation for correction officers and other staff who are reporting for duty and actively working to secure the prisons.
An independent mediator also has been retained “to help bring a quick and immediate end to this illegal work stoppage,” Hochul said.
The corrections officers say the facilities are unsafe and understaffed. They aren’t seeking more money, but instead are focused on better working conditions in the prisons.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 February 2025 at 4:23 pm
State Assemblyman Steve Hawley has joined 16 other Republicans in the State Legislature in sending a letter to Go. Kathy Hochul, blaming her administration for failing to make prisons safer for staff.
Hawley and the other legislators addressed the letter to Hochul and Daniel F. Martuscello III, commissioner of NYS Department of Corrections and Supervision.
“We write to you today to make an appeal on behalf of our Correctional Officers statewide for meaningful dialogue aimed at resolving growing concerns over the safety and stability of our correctional facilities,” the letter states. “Measures taken to improve these areas have continued to fail, rendering all individuals within them at significant risk for danger.”
Correction officers are on strike at 30 of the state’s 42 prisons. The strike started on Monday at Elmira and Collins, and spread to more than 20 by Tuesday including Albion and Orleans.
DOCCS reported a record 1,760 assaults on prison staff last year despite recent declines in the population of incarcerated people, Hawley noted.
“New York has seen historic increases of violence for both inmate-on-inmate and inmate-on-officer populations,” states the letter from the legislators.
The letter is signed by Assemblyman Matthew Simpson (114th District), Senator Jake Ashby (43rd District), Sen. James Tedisco (44th), Sen. Mark Walczyk (49th), Assemblyman Joseph DeStefano (3rd), Assemblyman Michael Durso (9th), Assemblyman John Mikulin (17th), Assemblyman Matthew Slater (94th), Assemblyman Chris Tague (102nd), Assemblyman Scott Gray (116th), Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush (117th), Assemblyman Robert Smullen (118th), Assemblyman Joseph Angelino (121st), Assemblyman Brian Miller (122nd), Assemblyman John Lemondes (126th), Assemblyman Brian Manktelow (130th) and Assemblyman Steve Hawley (139th).
“1,760 violent incidents against prison staff in a single year is not just an outlier, it’s a trend brought about by Gov. Hochul and her friends in the Majority who rewarded criminal behavior through radical policies such as the HALT Act,” Hawley said in a news release. “Since day one I’ve been firmly against these initiatives. I’ve seen the pain correctional officers and their families go through every day and it’s past time we say enough is enough. The governor needs to get her priorities straight. Our state’s safety depends on it.”
Photo by Tom Rivers: These signs are displayed today on Gaines Basin Road across the Orleans Correctional Facility where more than 100 corrections officers from Orleans and Albion correctional facilities, as well as recent retirees, are gathered for a second day of a strike at the prisons.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 February 2025 at 3:59 pm
A strike among corrections officers that started on Monday at Collins and Elmira prisons has now spread to 30 prisons, said the union representing the corrections officers.
The strike isn’t sanctioned by the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association. The Taylor Law doesn’t allow corrections officers or public employees to legally go on strike.
There are 42 prisons run by the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
“Currently there are approximately 30 correctional facilities in which officers/sergeants are participating in either protesting current working conditions inside the prisons or refusing to enter for their scheduled shift,” said James Miller, spokesman for NYSCOPBA, the union for corrections officers. “There are several facilities that are not participating and are operating normally.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday said she was preparing to mobilize the National Guard to help staff the prisons if the strike doesn’t end today. Miller said the National Guard is on standby but he is unaware if any Guard members have been deployed to a prison.
“The leadership of NYSCOPBA met with DOCCS officials and representatives of the Governor’s Office yesterday morning to discuss the well documented concerns of the members that has led to the current situation,” Miller said in a news release. “Negotiations with the State have continued throughout today between NYSCOPBA and the Governor’s Office towards a resolution.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 February 2025 at 1:48 pm
Corrections officers determined to not return to work until HALT Act rescinded
Photos by Tom Rivers: Corrections officers say mandatory overtime keeps them from seeing their families. This group is outside on Gaines Basin Road today. There was another group directly across from the main entrance to Orleans Correctional Facility. More than 100 people were gathered despite temperatures in the teens.
ALBION – More than 100 corrections officers are gathered across from the Orleans Correctional Facility on day 2 of a strike at the facilities. It’s part of strikes at about 25 prisons in New York, as COs pressure Gov. Kathy Hochul and the State Legislature to rescind the HALT Act which officers say has made the prisons far more dangerous with little repercussion if inmates attack staff or other incarcerated people.
The strikes started at prisons on Monday at Collins in Erie County and Elmira in the Southern Tier. By Tuesday the strike spread to more than 20 prisons including the two in Albion: the women’s prison, Albion Correctional, and the men’s medium-security prison, Orleans Correctional.
Officers on strike today told the Orleans Hub they aren’t seeking more money. The strike is mostly about rescinding the HALT Act and improving staffing. COs say more officers are needed to cut down on mandatory overtime. Some officers say they regularly are working 80 hours a week and are not able to spend much time with their families.
Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday said she was preparing to mobilize the National Guard if officers don’t end the strike today.
Correction officers say their top priority is rescinding the HALT Act which they say drastically limits solitary confinement for inmates. That has put other inmates and staff at risk of attacks with little repercussions to inmates who hurt others and break prison rules.
The gathering of COs outside Orleans Correctional on Gaines Basin Road was bigger today than on Tuesday. They were joined by many recent retirees.
“This has been a long time coming,” a CO at Orleans Correctional said.
He and his co-workers are determined to stay on strike until the HALT Act is ended.
“It’s up to the Governor’s Office,” said the CO who declined to give his name, fearing retaliation from the state.
Donna Vanderlaan is retired from Albion Correctional the past 5 ½ years. She worked there as a CO for 21 years, and started with two years at Bedford Hills. She said recent state policies have made the prisons less safe, and the shortage of staff are burning out the COs and other workers.
Vanderlaan said the state is overworking the COs and putting them in jeopardy. She has been out in the bitter cold the past two days.
She is amazed by the residents dropping off pizza, water, hand warmers, and wood to burn in barrels.
There has been so much pizza, the retired COs have brought some to the staff working inside the prisons.
“The community is definitely showing lots of support,” one of the COs said. “They’ve been phenomenal.”
COs who were inside the prisons working when the strikes started have now been in there for over 30 hours.
Vanderlaan said the striking staff are staying outside, trying to pressure the governor to change policies, especially the HALT Act.
“This isn’t about money,” Vanderlaan said. “They’re fighting for their lives and for the people who can’t be out here. With the 24-hour shifts, you have no life. We have people falling asleep on their ride home.”
There is a line of about 100 vehicles along Gaines Basin Road stretching from near the prison’s main entrance to past the American Legion Post.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 February 2025 at 3:50 pm
Hawley says COs strike in response to dangerous working conditions
File photo by Tom Rivers: Albion Correctional Facility looms large at the end of Washington Street in Albion. The site is the largest women’s prison in the state.
State Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt said he supports corrections officers in their demands for an end to HALT Act and increased staffing in prisons.
Corrections officers are on strike at many prisons today in the state, saying they are on the verge of leaving the profession due to mandatory overtime and dangerous conditions from the HALT Act, which puts limits on solitary confinement. Without solitary confinement, COs say incarcerated people can be violent and break prison rules without fear of punishment.
Gov. Kathy Hochul said she is preparing to send in the National Guard to help staff prisons if the strike doesn’t end by Wednesday.
“Sending the National Guard into our subways to do the job of the NYPD, and prisons to do the job of our correction officers is not the best use of these brave New Yorkers and is the result of the failed leadership of Governor Hochul and Senate and Assembly Democrats,” Ortt said in a statement this afternoon.
“The Governor should be focused on getting our correction officers back in prisons by ending HALT, and a commitment to increasing staffing,” he said. “Deploying our National Guard makes this situation even more dangerous. As a former member of the New York National Guard, I have the highest regard for these soldiers. However this is not what they are trained for.”
Ortt said the Senate Republican Conference has been vocal about the dangerous working conditions in the state’s prisons.
“The HALT Act and other reckless Democrat policies have empowered violent inmates, stripped officers of necessary tools to maintain order, and created an untenable crisis in our correctional facilities,” Ortt said.
He called on Hochul and the Legislature to reverse HALT which he said has resulted in “skyrocketing assaults” on staff.
Assemblyman Steve Hawley of Batavia faulted the Hochul administration for a failure to provide a safe working environment for correctional officers across the state.
In recent years, Hawley said correctional officers have faced unprecedented violence from inmates. The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision reported a record 1,760 assaults on prison staff last year, Hawley said.
“It should be completely clear now to this administration that our correctional officers have had enough,” Hawley said. “Gov. Hochul seems to be hellbent on stripping prison staff of vital protections while putting the concerns of criminals first. Policies like the HALT Act have taken control away from our correctional officers and given the power to inmates.
“Demonstrations like this should not come as a surprise to Gov. Hochul and her friends in the Majority,” Hawley said. “These are the kinds of drastic measures that happen when you push these law enforcement officers to their limits. I will continue to fight in Albany to make sure our correctional officers’ voices are heard and these radical reforms are reversed.”
Photo by Tom Rivers: A retired correction has a sign on him opposing the HALT Act as part of a demonstration with correction officers on strike outside the Orleans Correctional Facility in Albion today.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 February 2025 at 3:24 pm
Gov. Kathy Hochul said she is preparing to deploy the National Guard to staff prisons if a strike by corrections officers does not end by Wednesday.
Hochul blasted the corrections officers for going on strike at many prisons in the state today, including the Orleans Correctional (men’s medium security prison in Albion) and Albion Correctional (a women’s prison). About 100 corrections officers have been out in the freezing cold in a demonstration along Gaines Basin Road by Orleans Correctional.
The first strikes were on Monday at Collins Correctional in Erie County and Elmira Correctional in Chemung County.
“The illegal and unlawful actions being taken by a number of correction officers must end immediately,” Governor Hochul said in a news release this afternoon. “We will not allow these individuals to jeopardize the safety of their colleagues, incarcerated people, and the residents of communities surrounding our correctional facilities.
“I have directed my Administration to meet with union leadership to resolve this situation and have also ordered the National Guard be mobilized to secure our correctional facilities in the event it is not resolved by tomorrow. Correction officers do difficult work under challenging circumstances, and I have consistently fought for them to have better pay and working conditions and will continue to do so.”
Corrections officers went on strike to protest staffing shortages and unsafe conditions in the prisons – an influx of drugs and ramifications from the HALT Act which limits how incarcerated people can be put into solitary confinement.
Hochul said she directed Daniel Martuscello, commissioner of the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, and senior Administration officials to meet with leaders from the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association. Hochul wants an end to the work stoppage that she said is causing significant public safety concerns across New York.
Hochul said she has worked with NYSCOPBA to improve salaries, benefits and working conditions for corrections officers. In March 2024, the union agreed to a collective bargaining agreement to improve working conditions for corrections officers:
Increased salaries and starting pay for new employees by $6,500.
Increased Correction Officer location-based pay by $500 to $1,000 per Officer for downstate assignments.
Increased Correction Officer hazardous duty pay from $200 to $1,075.
Provides 12 weeks of fully-paid parental leave.
Hochul said she also succeeded in passing new laws and implemented administrative changes to protect corrections officers. That includes use of body scanners in correctional facilities. She also backed DOCCS implementation of a vendor package program that resulted in large reductions in contraband entering the correctional facilities.
Martuscello, commissioners of DOCCS, met with Chris Summers, president of the union for the correction officers, New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association.
The news release from Hochul included this quote from Martuscello: “Earlier today we met with NYSCOPBA President Summers and his Executive Board to discuss a path forward to returning all facilities to normal operations and ending this illegal strike.
“The safety and security of the staff and incarcerated population is paramount to me. I value the hard work and commitment of the men and women at DOCCS who have had to sacrifice time with their families due to the current staffing shortage.
“However, this illegal job action involving NYSCOPBA members is causing irreparable harm to the operations of the department and jeopardizing the safety and security of their co-workers within these facilities. We will continue to develop strategies to reduce assaults and to bring more staff on board with NYSCOPBA, the recognized bargaining agency for correction officers and sergeants.
“There is always room for progress and for disagreements and we welcome continued dialogue with the union at the table. At this time, I am urging all those on strike to end this job action.”
Photo by Tom Rivers: Flags advertise merchandise and collectibles at The Downtown Browsery Co-op at 118 North Main St. in Albion.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 February 2025 at 1:17 pm
ALBION – The Albion Village Board say it will look at how some communities are using Tax Increment Financing (TIF) as incentives to bring investment in a downtown business district and other targeted areas.
Village trustee Joyce Riley learned about TIFs at a recent municipal conference. She spoke about them during last week’s Village Board meeting.
“We have to find a way to make dormant buildings be vibrant,” Riley said.
A TIF would give a property owner a discount on taxes for their investment in a project. Mayor Angel Javier Jr. said a drawback could be a loss of tax revenue. He wants to see the potential impact on the village tax revenue as part of a TIF district.
The TIF would be similar to a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) where there is a gradual sliding scale for a property owner, where a small amount is paid in the beginning and a percentage is added each following year until it is at full value. A PILOT typically is 10, 15, 20 or 25 years. Locally, the PILOTs are done through the Orleans Economic Development Agency on behalf of the taxing jurisdictions.
Riley said there could be a loss of revenue in the beginning of a TIF, but ultimately there would be more revenue for the village later in the PILOT and the village and community would have the benefit of more buildings being put to use.
“We have to look at it at the long haul, not the short haul,” she said. “In the long haul we’ll make more money.”
Village officials said they would do more research on Tax Increment Financing. Riley said it would be another way to facilitate business and housing investment in Albion in a way that is less reliant on state grants.
