Action taken regarding the hiring of former New York State Corrections Officers

During the recent strike by New York State Corrections Officers, New York’s Governor banned state counties from hiring them into similar positions on the local level.

In Onondaga County, this move came up at the March meeting of the Public Safety Committee. Onondaga County’s Sheriff was our guest, and shared as of that date, 49 individuals had applied for jobs with the county but because of the Governor’s order, he could not hire them.  If he could – these individuals could help ease a severe staffing shortage in our county jails and reduce the stresses placed on those that are working in them. 

In my role as Committee Chair, I pointedly asked the Sheriff what the committee and the Legislature could do to put pressure on the Governor, which led to a good conversation. 

During it, I said, “I’m not worried about the Governor, sorry.  I’m worried about our people that work in corrections in Jamesville. I’m worried about the Sheriff’s Office. I’m worried about that personnel. I’m worried about everybody that has to do their job, and because the state isn’t willing to do this correctly, and is putting this on Onondaga County, that doesn’t make this right.”

Following the meeting, I asked the Chairman of the Legislature, Timothy Burtis, to send a letter to the Governor on behalf of the entire Legislature.  The Chairman did and it was co-signed by the Sheriff.  Letters were also sent to every elected official in Albany that represents Onondaga County.  Those were signed by every member of the Republican Caucus. None of the members of the Democrat Caucus – who claim to be the party of the working people – agreed to sign the letter.

The good news is that following these letters and pressure from other counties across New York State, the Governor reversed her decision and is now allowing counties to hire these Corrections Officers.  She did not reinstate their state certification, however, meaning if hired, they would have to first go through a training academy as any new hire would.  Many of the 49 who have applied to Onondaga County have so much real-world experience they could teach these classes, so having to put them through the academy is unnecessary and an unneeded expense to county taxpayers.  So the fight against that continues.

I believe the Governor’s actions are harming dedicated individuals who have devoted their careers to public service. These individuals stood up and attempted to create a better working environment for themselves and their peers. Regardless of individual beliefs as to whether those actions were justified or not, real leaders must show a commitment to supporting our workers and not abandon them to serve a personal, political expediency.