No one should have to put up with dangerous working conditions – and yes, that includes corrections officers. Right now, 15,000 workers at 38 of New York’s 42 State Prisons are on strike, including at the Woodbourne Correctional Facility, according to the Dept. of Corrections and Community Supervision.

These Woodbourne officers, as well as the thousands of other CO’s involved in the walk out around the State, signed up to perform duties that put them in sensitive positions, yes, but agreeing to do a job and having your health, safety and future on the line repeatedly is out of line. With Governor Hochul’s push for the National Guard to enter the scene, perhaps this means that the eyes of New York will see the distress both inside prison walls and within the lives of those employed in these establishments. 

With the State residents being forced to be made aware, perhaps that means real protections for protectors are closer than before the strikes. Progress can take many forms, after all. 

Looking at what could happen in Albany in response to these strikes, we also express our thanks to our State representatives, Assembly Member Paula Kay and Senator Peter Oberacker, who have been both vocal and on-the-scene to lend their support. Once again, their interpersonal connections allow them to act as true liaisons between our own community and Albany, which may have an impact in finding a solution. 

This strike also pairs well with the recent movement to highlight the dangers that nurses and other healthcare professionals face daily. According to the American Nurse Association, one out of every four nurses are assaulted. The people who are there for us when we need them sometimes perform duties that are unheralded – and even dangerous – not unlike those who work in our prisons and jails.

These combined messages of workers safety and rights to self-preservation remind the working world that there is still great room for improvement to better the lives of those who truly protect, serve and save lives.

We hope both sides can come to the table and negotiate a meaningful end to this walkout which addresses both the needs of the guards and our state.