AP Photo Correctional officers and their supporters demonstrate in sight of Coxsackie Correctional Facility in the Hudson Valley., Monday, Feb. 24, 2025, in Coxsackie, N.Y.

A resolution that includes a temporary suspension of the HALT Act has been announced by the New York State Corrections Officers and Police Benevolent Association regarding the 11-day strike at more than 30 prisons by officers.

James Miller, spokesman for NYSCOPBA said in a statement Friday morning that after three days of mediation, NYSCOPBA and New York state reached an agreement and Consent Award, which contents were presented to the members who were continuing to refuse to work.

“The decisions to return to work is not a collective vote by members of NYSCOPBA,” Miller said. “It will be up to each individual who currently is refusing to work to decide whether to return to work or risk termination, potential fines and possible arrest for violating the court order.

“NYSCOPBA has encouraged each member to return to work based on what was achieved in the Consent Award.”

Part of that document includes the 90-day suspension of the HALT Act, which deals with handling solitary confinement, by the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. “After 30 days from the date of the Consent Award, the Commissioner of DOCCS will begin to evaluate the operations, safety, and security of our facilities relative to staffing levels and determine whether re-instituting the suspended elements of HALT would create an unreasonable risk to the safety and security of the incarcerated individuals and staff,” the legal agreement says. “This analysis will be done on a facility-by-facility basis and will be ongoing.”

Overtime, continued use of the National Guard and staffing levels are also outlined in the Consent Award. It also deals with discipline for those who took part in the illegal strike. “DOCCS shall not issue notices of discipline under the collective bargaining agreement for an employee who engaged in the strike so long as the employee returned to work by the deadline in this award. This does not include any Taylor Law fine(s) that may be incurred,” the document notes.

Miller said the deadline to return to work without any departmental discipline is Saturday for the individual officer’s scheduled shift.

State Sen. George Borrello, R-Sunset Bay, said he had “serious reservations” about the changes offered in the latest agreement. “It will ultimately be up to the striking corrections officers to decide whether this tentative agreement addresses their concerns and is acceptable to them. However, continuing to strike comes at a steep cost, with the threat of severe financial penalties, lost wages, and even the loss of health insurance weighing heavily on their decisions. These officers must decide what is best for them and their families, and I will continue to support them wholeheartedly, no matter the choice they make or the challenges they face in this fight for safer working conditions and real reform.”

Strikes have impacted locations that include Collins Correctional Facility and Lakeview Shock Incarceration Facility in Brocton.

Miller also cautioned on some reports regarding what’s been taking place inside facilities. “As you are aware, there is a lot of misinformation being bandied about that is inaccurate,” he said. “That includes ongoing violence in the prisons and National Guard members who were allegedly assaulted.”