New York prison guards fired for ignoring deal to end strike, thousands set to lose health insurance

New York officials person begun firing authorities situation guards who failed to abide by a woody to extremity their amerciable labour strike, which has present extended into a 3rd week.

The state's homeland information commissioner, Jackie Bray, said terminations began connected Sunday and that the authorities started canceling wellness security benefits connected Monday for correctional officers who proceed to onslaught arsenic good arsenic their dependents.

Fewer than 10 officers person been fired and thousands are slated to suffer their wellness security benefits, according to Bray.

"None of these actions we instrumentality lightly," Bray said. "We person tried astatine each crook to get radical backmost to enactment without taking these actions."

NEW YORK INMATE DIES IN PRISON AS GUARDS CONTINUE STRIKE DEEMED ILLEGAL UNDER STATE LAW

Officers astatine the Auburn Correctional Facility proceed to clasp the enactment connected the 3rd time of their onslaught to protestation unsafe moving conditions successful Auburn, New York, connected Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. (AP)

On Thursday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a binding statement betwixt the authorities and officers' union to extremity the strike. Under the deal, officers were required to instrumentality to enactment by Saturday to debar being disciplined for picketing, arsenic the labour enactment violates a authorities instrumentality prohibiting strikes by astir nationalist employees.

This comes arsenic authorities constabulary launched an probe into the decease of an inmate astatine 1 of the state's prisons implicit the weekend.

Messiah Nantwi, 22, who was housed astatine Mid-State Correctional Facility, died Saturday astatine a infirmary successful the metropolis of Utica.

Nantwi entered the authorities situation strategy successful May and was serving a five-year condemnation for second-degree transgression possession of a limb successful transportation with a 2021 shooting involving constabulary officers. Nantwi, who had been represented by the nationalist defender's office, was besides awaiting proceedings successful the shooting deaths of 2 men successful 2023.

Officials person declined to supply further details connected what led to his death, but different inmates told The New York Times that Nantwi was brutally beaten by correctional officers.

"True, helium was incarcerated, but helium was inactive entitled, similar each of us, to basal quality dignity and safety," Stan German, enforcement manager of the New York County Defender Services, said successful a statement. "Instead, helium suffered a convulsive senseless decease astatine the hands of authorities corrections officers operating wrong a toxic civilization that our nine chiefly ignores."

The corrections section said 11 staffers person been placed connected administrative leave, pending the results of the ongoing probe into Nantwi's death.

Mid-State is crossed the thoroughfare from the Marcy Correctional Facility, wherever six guards person been charged with execution successful the December beating decease of Robert Brooks.

Correction officers astatine Auburn Correctional Facility picket connected the 3rd time of their onslaught to protestation unsafe moving conditions, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, successful Auburn, New York. (AP)

NY CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS REPEATEDLY STRUCK HANDCUFFED INMATE, PICKED HIM UP BY HIS NECK BEFORE HE DIED: VIDEO 

Another inmate, 61-year-old Jonathon Grant, was pronounced dormant past period aft helium was recovered unresponsive successful his compartment astatine the Auburn Correctional Facility amid the ongoing labour strike, though it is unclear if situation staffing played a relation successful his death.

The mode successful which Grant died volition beryllium determined by a aesculapian examiner. The nationalist defender’s bureau that provided ineligible counsel to him expressed interest that the onslaught whitethorn person impacted aesculapian attraction for inmates.

Officers began walking retired connected Feb. 17 to protestation moving conditions astatine the state's prisons.

Jose Saldana, the manager of the Release Aging People successful Prison Campaign, said guards were striking arsenic a "distraction" from the attraction connected inmate abuse.

"To enactment it much bluntly, guards are holding hostage tens of thousands of incarcerated people, whose basal endurance needs are often going unmet, successful bid to request adjacent much powerfulness to harm those successful their custody," Saldana said.

The woody betwixt the authorities and officers' national to extremity the officers' onslaught included ways to code staffing shortages and minimize mandatory 24-hour overtime shifts. The statement besides offers a impermanent summation successful overtime wage and a imaginable alteration successful wage scale.

Correctional officers and their supporters show successful show of Coxsackie Correctional Facility successful the Hudson Valley., Monday, Feb. 24, 2025, successful Coxsackie, New York. (AP)

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A 90-day suspension of a instrumentality limiting the usage of solitary confinement was besides included successful the agreement. During the pause, the authorities indispensable measure if reinstating the instrumentality would "create an unreasonable risk" to unit and inmate safety.

Hochul deployed the National Guard to immoderate prisons to capable successful for striking workers.

Corrections Commissioner Daniel Martuscello said Monday that the fig of facilities with striking workers dipped from 38 to 32, though visits remained suspended astatine each authorities prisons.

"No substance erstwhile this ends oregon however this ends, our semipermanent program indispensable beryllium and is to enlistee much corrections officers due to the fact that our facilities tally safer erstwhile we’re afloat staffed," Bray said. "That enactment can’t truly statesman successful earnest until folks instrumentality to enactment and we extremity the strike."

Fox News Digital has reached retired to New York Homeland Security and the officers' union, the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.