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The New York state Office of Employee Relations released a memo Thursday instructing how state agencies determine eligible applicants for jobs to comply with Gov. Kathy Hochul’s March 10 executive order barring anyone who was terminated as a result of the recent correction officer strike from being hired at any state service job.
According to the memo, state agencies must confirm if an applicant was a correciton officer employed by the state at any point between Feb. 17 and March 10, and if so, contact the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision to see if the applicant was fired for their participation in the strike.
If it’s found the applicant was terminated for not returning to work, the agency cannot make a job offer to them.
Hochul’s executive order says those who participated in the illegal strike violated the Taylor Law, which prohibits public employees from striking, undermined public trust and disrupted public service, and therefore are not suitable for public roles.
The order has been controversial and challenged at the local level, as it also prohibits former correction officers who were fired for striking from being hired by local municipalities unless they go through a specific program. Chemung and Oneida counties have filed lawsuits against the state, accusing it to be an overreach. Earlier this week, state Senate Republicans wrote a letter to Hochul urging her to rescind the order.
