State corrections officers’ union strongly supports Blakeman
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Corrections across New York state have made it official: they are fed up with incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul. In a historic statewide membership endorsement process for governor of New York, the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association overwhelmingly voted to endorse Bruce Blakeman.
The vote was conducted directly among NYSCOPBA’s statewide membership, marking the first time in the organization’s history that its members have been given the opportunity to participate in a statewide gubernatorial endorsement vote. The final tally was 1,478 members voted and 95% of participants voted in favor of the endorsement, a resounding message.
"This is about more than an endorsement. This is about the members of NYSCOPBA having a voice and using it," said NYSCOPBA President Chris Summers. "For the first time in our organization’s history, we took this decision directly to our statewide membership. We didn’t make this decision behind closed doors. We didn’t make it in a small room with a handful of people. We put it in the hands of the men and women who work inside New York’s correctional facilities every single day -- and they spoke loud and clear."
Their decision comes 18 months after numerous strikes took place due to working conditions and long hours inside the walls of the prison system. Members at Collins Correctional Facility and Lakeview Shock Incarceration Facility in Brocton participated in the work stoppage.
During the stoppage, Hochul had some officers terminated while calling in the National Guard to assist in the situation.
In a news release, NYSCOPBA members say the understand the challenges facing New York’s correctional system because they experience those challenges firsthand. Staffing shortages, mandatory overtime, officer safety, compensation, benefits, and the future of the state’s correctional system directly affect correctional officers and their families.
"The people who work in our prisons know what is happening inside those facilities better than anyone," Summers said. "They see the staffing shortages. They work the mandatory overtime. They deal with the safety issues. They walk into dangerous situations every day and are expected to keep order and protect both staff and incarcerated individuals. Their voices deserve to be heard when decisions are made about the future of corrections in New York."
Based on the results of the statewide membership vote, NYSCOPBA is formally announcing its endorsement of Blakeman.
The endorsement comes with a commitment from NYSCOPBA to continue pressing for action on the issues its members identified as priorities, including staffing levels, officer safety, mandatory overtime, compensation, benefits, and the long-term future of corrections in New York.
"Bruce Blakeman, this endorsement represents the voice of our membership," Summers said. "We are ready to have the hard conversations about what it will take to rebuild a correctional system where officers are properly staffed, properly supported and able to do their jobs safely. We want to work with you on the issues that matter to correctional officers and their families."
The union emphasized that the membership vote represents the beginning of its engagement with the gubernatorial campaign, not the conclusion of it.
"Today we are sending a very clear message: our members want a seat at the table, and they want their voices heard," Summers said. "This endorsement is not the end of the conversation. It is the beginning. We will continue to fight for the men and women who protect New York’s correctional facilities every day, and we will hold every elected official accountable for how they address the challenges facing our profession and our correctional system."