At least 6,000 New York National Guard troops have been deployed to state prisons for weeks, helping to preserve safety and order as thousands of corrections officers went on strike, and many quit or were fired over their working conditions. Officials expect those troops will remain deployed for months, perhaps longer, as the state prisons run on lower staffing levels.
But those National Guard troops are deployed on a state order, not a federal one — meaning they’re being paid less than minimum wage, they’re not being given access to federal benefits or protections for soldiers, and New York is footing the bill for their work. “$3.5 million a day, that’s how much New York is spending on this mobilization,” said state Sen. Mark C. Walczyk, R-Watertown, who is a member of the U.S. Army Reserve.
New York’s Republican lawmakers are asking the administration of President Donald J. Trump to step in and issue a federal order to deploy the National Guard troops, which they say would improve their working conditions. While those troops are deployed in the prisons, they’re serving in conditions that have never been seen before. There are no contingency plans in place for when corrections officers strike, because it’s illegal for them to do so and a mass strike at the scale seen these past weeks has never happened in New York before.
TROOPS PAID LESS
On state deployment, National Guard troops are paid less than the state minimum wage, about $13.25 per hour. Federal deployment would boost that significantly, and the federal government would cover the costs rather than the state. The troops would also be eligible for VA benefits, a housing allowance, and credit toward their federal retirement plans — none of which is available while they’re on state deployment.
The National Guard troops are spending almost all of their time at the prisons where they have been deployed, working sometimes 12-hour shifts alongside corrections officers who have returned to work or never went on strike. “We’ve heard, I know my colleagues have heard a lot of these stories that they’re in where they’re eating prison food, or they’re feeding off of community donations because the state failed to properly plan,” Walczyk said. “They don’t have access to showers or to laundry in many cases.”
LIFE DISRUPTIONS
Walczyk said that the state has also called up as many troops as it could find, including college students and people younger than 21. He expressed concern over the long-term nature of the National Guard deployment as well. For two weeks, thousands of troops who have other jobs, families, and school have been on call 24/7, not permitted to go back home or to work.
He said he was worried that relying on the National Guard for such a long time could disrupt the thousands of businesses that employ the troops, and could discourage companies from hiring them in the future. “You want employers to know that they have someone stable they can count on, or they’re going to be a little bit hesitant to hire National Guardsmen in the future,” Walczyk said.
A federalization of these troops would only come after a formal request has been made by Gov. Kathleen C. Hochul. Senate Minority Leader Robert G. Ortt III, R-North Tonawanda, said he believes the governor hasn’t asked because it would mean going to Trump for help. “The Democrats would rather drown than ask President Trump for a lifeline,” Ortt said. He also suggested that perhaps the governor didn’t want to appear as if she were in need of help from anyone on this issue. “I think sometimes people don’t want to look like they can’t handle something, like it’s a weakness thing, but we’re well past that at this point,” he said.
If federalized, Ortt said not much would likely change in the day-to-day for the National Guard troops deployed to the prisons. While their command would be reporting directly to the U.S. Department of Defense, local leadership would remain in place, and the troops would likely still defer to prison leaders for orders and scheduling.