PLATTSBURGH — As the wildcat strike of correction officers across the state entered its eighth day on Tuesday, officers who are still working at Franklin Correctional Facility in Malone sent a letter to the state saying they are at their breaking point.

“We write to you not as faceless employees, but as human beings — correction officers, mothers, fathers, husbands and wives — who are breaking under the weight of a system that has abandoned us,” the officers of the facility wrote in an open letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul and Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Commissioner Daniel F. Martuscello III over the weekend.

“We are the officers inside Franklin Correctional Facility, trapped within these walls, doing everything we can to uphold security for this facility and the surrounding community. But at what cost?”

–

Day 8 of strike

–

Correction officers have been on a wildcat strike not sanctioned by their union since Monday, Feb. 17 at facilities across the state. They are upset over conditions inside prisons they say are unsafe due to a lack of staff, proper measures to keep contraband out and the Humane Alternative to Long Term Incarceration Act, which strictly limits the length of time an inmate can be sent to special housing for egregious and dangerous acts.

Not all officers are on strike, and those that have been showing up to work have been forced to work double and even triple shifts they say, and their time allowed away from the facility is limited.

In their letter to the governor and commissioner, the officers at Franklin said the conditions are getting to be too much.

“For 144 hours and counting, many of us have been locked inside, unable to see our families, unable to step away from the relentless chaos and violence we are forced to endure,” they wrote.

“We do this not because we want to, but because we have no choice. If we leave, who will protect this facility? Who will ensure the safety of our colleagues, our community and even the incarcerated individuals in our charge? We have been left with an impossible task — and we are succeeding — but at the expense of our own well being.”

The letter went on to say that the officers working inside stand behind those that are outside picketing, adding that working conditions have deteriorated to the point where violence is not the exception, but the expectation.

“The mental and physical toll is staggering,” the officers said.

“Families are breaking under the strain. Our health is suffering. The exhaustion is suffocating.”

–

State offer

–

The state has offered mediator sessions with the correction officers union that began Monday in an attempt to settle the dispute.

On Saturday, the state also threatened striking workers with canceling their health insurance benefits in addition to fining them two days pay for every one day out of work.

Assemblyman Matt Simpson, R-, C-Lake George, issued a statement Monday demanding immediate action to address the growing crisis.

He blamed Hochul for her, “failure to protect correctional officers from rising violence and her recent pitch to close up to five more prisons,” and he called for repeal of the HALT Act.

“The governor’s failure to act is putting our correctional officers in harm’s way,” Simpson said. “The HALT Act has crippled our prisons, and officers are paying the price. These men and women are working grueling double and sometimes triple shifts without the tools or support they need to stay safe. It’s unacceptable. We need to repeal the HALT Act immediately or we risk further violence and lives lost.”

Simpson said it is up to Hochul to take ownership of this crisis, repeal the HALT Act and work toward a solution that ensures the safety of both officers and inmates.

Over the weekend, Hochul also called for the closure of five more prisons statewide in her Executive Budget proposal.

Assemblyman D. Billy Jones, D-Chateaugay Lake, a former correction officer himself, said that is not the answer.

“As correctional officers protest and negotiations are ongoing, closing facilities is no way to address the valid concerns from these hardworking men and women to end the work stop,” Jones said.

“I am calling on the governor to reverse this decision and will continue to push to keep this proposal out of the final state budget.”

–

Bullying tactics

–

The officers at Franklin Correctional addressed the state’s response in their letter.

“And now, instead of addressing the problem, the state is using threats and intimidation against those who have had the courage to stand up for change. Threats of legal action, removal of healthcare and retaliation against those speaking out are nothing more than bullying tactics,” the letter said.

“Enough is enough. The only just resolution is the immediate return of officers to work — without punishment, without retaliation — and the implementation of real substantial changes to our work environment. This is not about privilege or power — it is about survival.”