The Erie County Department of Personnel has temporarily paused a policy that would disqualify terminated New York correction officers from being appointed to any civil service positions in the county.
It applies to the officers who lost their jobs with the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision because of participation in the illegal wildcat strike that took place at prisons across New York earlier this year.
Erie County Department of Personnel Commissioner Brian Bray says that the pause is in effect pending further legal clarity surrounding Gov. Kathy Hochul's executive order that states any worker who continued to participate in the wildcat strike after the agreement would no longer be able to be hired at any state service job.
"The policy outlined in the March 18, 2025 memorandum regarding the disqualification of applicants separated from the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) due to participation in the illegal strike beginning on February 17, 2025, is hereby paused. This decision is based on ongoing legal actions against New York State concerning Executive Order 47.3. Until the courts have issued rulings that provide further legal clarity, the Erie County Department of Personnel will not enforce the March 18, 2025, directive. During this period, no employment decisions will be made solely based on the criteria set forth in the original policy. The Department of Personnel will continue to monitor legal developments and provide further guidance once the judicial process has concluded."
Striking correction officers who refused to return to work after an agreement had been reached between the union and the state potentially faced charges and could be held in contempt under the state's Taylor Law, which among other things, prevents state employees from striking.
Hochul's executive order also recommends that these workers be removed from the Central Registry of Police and Peace Officers for cause, meaning they would be prevented from being hired as a police or peace officer in state and local jurisdictions.
Keegan Trunick - Supervisor Sr. Producer
After attending SUNY Oswego, Keegan produced at news stations in the Rochester market, on-air and online, for 10 years before joining the Spectrum News team, where he currently serves as the supervisor senior digital producer for the Western New York region.
