N.Y.C. Sues Jail Officers, Saying Illegal Strike Worsened Rikers Crisis
The New York Times
The lawsuit said that there was no plausible explanation for a “staggering” number of absences by correction officers this year other than a concerted and illegal job slowdown.
New York City on Monday sued a union representing its jail officers, saying that the staff absenteeism that has led to an ongoing crisis on Rikers Island amounted to an illegal strike that had endangered staff and detainees there alike.
The lawsuit, filed in State Supreme Court in Manhattan, said that the union, the Correction Officers Benevolent Association, and its leadership had condoned a coordinated campaign of absenteeism over the course of this year, which led to a sharp degradation in the quality of life at the notorious jail complex.
The suit was filed just a day after a Bronx man’s death on the island brought the total number of people who have died in the custody of the city’s Department of Correction this year to 11.
