Last Wednesday, a New Yorker Supreme Court Judge granted a temporary restraining order that mandated that Corrections Officers end their strike. Officers are striking for unsafe working conditions, mandated 24 shifts, unsafe mail sorting practices, and purposeful low staffing known as 70/30, where 70% staffed is the new 100%, as reported by ALBB last week. The Union representing the Corrections Officers, the NYSCOPBA, has maintained since the beginning of the strike that it is “not in any way sanctioned,” reports numerous outlets including WIVB4.

In court documents obtained by WIVB4, the strike is deemed illegal by the Taylor Law, which prohibits public employees from striking without permission from their union. Workers can be docked "twice their daily rate of pay," the legislation says, "not earlier than 30 nor later than 90 days following the date of such determination."

Governor Hochul ordered the National Guard to replace Corrections Officers who are outside striking. The National Guard is to distribute meals and medicine to incarcerated people.

WIVB4 reported that Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt 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,” he said. “This is not what they are trained for.”