The illegal correction officer strikes at dozens of facilities across upstate New York continued Thursday, with mediation efforts also ongoing. The strikes are now in their 11th day.

The New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA) told Spectrum News 1 that progress has been made on several issues in negotiations with the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS).

A statement from NYSCOPBA indicates the third day of mediation concluded at midnight Thursday, and meetings between NYSCOPBA and state officials would pick back up.

"It is expected that the State will have a formal offer to the demands of those who have refused to work during the labor dispute," a NYSCOPBA representative said in the statement.

Atop the correction officers' demands is a repeal or significant review of the HALT Act, which restricts solitary confinement, though there doesn't appear to be much appetite for significant changes from state legislative leaders. 

Steve Byrne is a fourth-generation correction officer who retired in 2008. His son is now also a CO.

“No matter what facility, it’s the same message. They want to be safe, and they want to be respected, and I don’t see why not," Byrne, who was at Auburn Correctional Facility on Thursday, said.

New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang already oversaw a review of the law summarized in an August 2024 report. The office was looking to ensure DOCCS was complying with the law, not just in terms of solitary confinement standards, but its rehabilitative aspects as well. Before they were even able to dig into those questions, it became clear that antiquated recordkeeping systems within the Department of Corrections would make the review a logistical nightmare. Months later, the report raises questions about how any further review of how HALT is working could be realistically pursued if there is no way to tell if it is being followed correctly.

Since the HALT Act's inception in 2022, DOCCS data shows inmate-on-inmate and inmate-on-staff assaults have increased.

“Back then, there might be two fights a month, now with this HALT Act, there’s like a fight every day," Byrne said. "Assaults going on constantly, for some reason, the safety factor from when I retired to now has really gone awry.”

Byrne said he and the other COs on strike are hoping for a satisfactory resolution so that they can not only get back to work, but have a safe work environment to get back to.

“We’re hoping there’s an offer because a lot of these guys, they’ve got families to support. They want to take their life into, their health insurance, they’ve got children," Byrne said.

“What we’re hoping for, if it concludes, is that there’s some meat and potatoes in the disciplinary system as a deterrent,” Byrne added. “Peace through strength, just like on the outside.”

The state's Taylor Law, which among other things created the Public Employment Relations Board to settle disputes, prohibits state public employees from striking. Earlier this week, the state began taking legal steps against the officers striking.