As the correction officer strike enters a third week at prisons across New York, state officials said as of Monday, fewer than 10 prison workers had been terminated while "thousands" would see health care coverage disappear later in the day if they didn't return to work.

On Monday, Daniel Martuscello, commissioner of the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS), and Jackie Bray, commissioner of the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, held a news conference on the status of the strike and how the state is responding.

The stakes are now much higher for any correction workers who remain on the picket lines as the state began terminating those individuals on Sunday, Martuscello said.

Strikers who miss 10 consecutive days unexcused are considered to have resigned, Bray said.

Additionally, the state will begin to cancel the health insurance of workers who remain on strike. That will also affect the workers' dependents and will impact thousands of people across the state, according to the news conference.

There are signs that the strike may be beginning to wind down, Martuscello said. Correction officers at six of the 38 striking prisons have now returned to work. Those facilities are Greenhaven, Fishkill, Shawangunk, Hudson, Taconic and Sing Sing. Workers at the remaining 32 out of 42 facilities in New York remain on strike.

“We immediately began, as a result of the illegal strike, to work with the unions and identifying pathways to return our employees to work,” said Martuscello. “Unfortunately, that was unsuccessful, and recognizing the hard work the men and women do across the state and the difficult jobs of our correctional officers, we agreed to enter into mediation with an independent mediator to get a better understanding for the issues surrounding what our staff were saying.” 

Martuscello said he has traveled the state and spoken with workers about their concerns. 

"Correction officers have a difficult job, let alone being understaffed," said Martuscello. "I see firsthand the impact that it has had on correction officers and their families and I want to make sure that we continue to have this conversation as they play a vital role in public safety to this state."

State officials will be back in court to address the civil action that is being taken against striking workers. Bray said the state attorney general is taking action against 350 striking workers under the state's Taylor Law, which bars state employees from striking.

“This is a wildcat, unauthorized, illegal strike,” said Gov. Kathy Hochul. “So the union is at the table negotiating with us. But the challenge is they agree with our position. They agreed with our position that we came to after having a mediator that they recommended.” 

Bray said the state has so far spent $25 million as a result of the strike, and should it continue, it would cost the state an estimated $106 million a month. According to the law, the state can issue fines against the striking workers equal to the amount being spent by the state to address the strike, Bray said.

DOCCS and the New York State Correction Officers and Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA), the union representing the correction officers, reached a consent agreement through a third-party mediator on Thursday, however, that agreement cannot be implemented as long as workers remain on the picket lines. Despite that, Martuscello said he has already issued policy changes in the prison system since speaking with striking workers.