Open Letter to all NYS Legislators:
The recent walkout of New York State Corrections Officers and workers was heartbreaking to watch. The Department of Corrections’ notice that staffing would need to BE CUT must have been too much for the prison staff to take. Now, without their voices being allowed at negotiations talks, the Governor declares the strike over and fires 25 percent of the working staff. HOW DOES THIS IMPROVE THE SAFETY INSIDE PRISONS?

The strike might be ended but the conditions won’t change unless the Legislature works to make it happen. I hope you have read and followed all of the media stories and videos from TV and social media. They report terrible happenings inside New York State prisons. Our corrections officers face health damaging incidents every day. The latest story covered by wwnytv.com reported that a female corrections officer was exposed to fentanyl needing a Narcan injection. She required hospitalization when she found out that suffered a miscarriage. Heartbreaking.

How did she get exposed to the fentanyl? It is brought into the prisons by visitors or by mail and I understand that there is no test that can detect it. And visitors can refuse to be searched. Fentanyl is prevalent, not the exception, in NY prisons.

Our prisons MUST BE SAFE for workers and inmates. Budget talks are in process. Please, please, please do what you can in the State Legislature to address the cries of the thousands of workers who felt they had no other recourse than to strike to bring attention to this. Over 2000 brave men and women lost their livelihoods trying to tell you. This is a shame to all of New York.