GOV. KATHY HOCHUL UNLEASHES F-BOMB BARRAGE ON STRIKING PRISON GUARDS
GOV. HOCHUL PLANTED FAKE NEWS STORY THAT ‘DEAL’ TO END STRIKE WAS IMMINENT, THEN DEMANDED UNION OK ‘DEAL’ AND, WHEN IT REFUSED, LOST IT
Striking Correction Officers outside the Franklin Correctional Facility on Friday. Photo credit: JB Nicholas.
Mar. 7, 2025
Gov. Kathy Hochul attempted to strong-arm New York's striking prison guards back to work on Thursday, even unleashing the F-Bomb on union leaders, but they rejected the desperate gamble.
After Gov. Hochul cursed at union leaders on the telephone, her prison chief Daniel F. Martuscello III barged into the union's Albany headquarters and attempted to force him to sign a "deal" to end the strike. Jackie Bray, Commissioner of New York's Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, was with him. Both have police bodyguards and other assistants.
The dramatic developments happened hours after New York's striking prison guards re-committed themselves to the wildcat strike they started without their union's authorization on Feb. 19.
Gov. Hochul set her plan in motion shortly after noon on Thursday, when her office successfully planted a “fake news” story in the Albany Times Union.
"Two people close to the negotiations told the Times Union early Thursday afternoon that the deal was imminent," Albany's newspaper-of-record reported. The report added, "thousands of officers were expected to return to work as early as Friday morning."
It was all a lie, planted by Gov. Hochul's office, a source close to the negotiations said, and as later events showed.
After planting the disinformation, both the governor's office and the state agency that manages New York's prison system, the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, DOCCS, presented a proposed "deal" to the guards' union. Only the union is legally authorized to negotiate for guards with DOCCS.
The union, the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association, or NYSCOPBA, refused to sign the proposed deal.
"Both DOCCS and the Governor's office tried to bully us into signing this agreement by threatening to pin the agreement's downfall on the union," NYSCOPBA said in a letter to members obtained by The Free Lance.
"We will not stand for this misinformation," the union added.
The letter, dated Mar. 6 and sent Thursday night, confirmed the "brand-new agreement" had been presented to the union by DOCCS "mere hours ago." When NYSCOPBA leadership refused to immediately sign the deal, the letter says, DOCCS and the governor's office "gave us an ultimatum."
An ultimatum the union, and striking guards, both rejected.
Striking Correction Officers outside the Upstate Correctional Facility on Friday. Photo credit: JB Nicholas.
The letter fails to mention the drama that unfolded behind-the-scenes.
Around 6:00 PM last night, Gov. Hochul telephoned NYSCOPBA Pres. Chris Summers and told him he had a half-hour to get to her office to sign the deal. Summers refused. That's when Gov. Hochul unleashed the F-Bomb barrage.
"She did use the F word several times," a source involved in the negotiations said. "Chris did not. "
A half-hour later, Commissioners Martuscello and Bray showed up at NYSCOPBA's office to demand Summers sign the deal.
"The conversation was heated," the union source said, an adjective diplomats typlically use to diplomatically describe a screaming match.
Summers stuck to his guns and refused.
Martuscello and Bray left and went directly to Spectrum News' studio to broadcast an appeal directly to striking guards to return to work. As they threatened, Martuscello did accuse NYSCOPBA of “failing members.”
Strikers almost immediately rejected it, and stayed on strike Friday morning.
Both the governor’s office and DOCCS did not respond to a invitation to comment.
Send tips or corrections to jasonbnicholas@gmail.com or, if you prefer, thefreelancenews@proton.me