Syracuse Sun

Two experts from Syracuse University are available for interviews regarding the ongoing New York State prison strikes and the deployment of the National Guard. Those interested in scheduling an interview can contact Vanessa Marquette, media relations specialist, at vrmarque@syr.edu.

Lynne Vincent, an assistant professor of management at Syracuse University's Whitman School of Management, specializes in labor and industrial relations. She commented on the current situation: "This situation is really interesting as the Taylor Law restricts the ability of employees in critical positions such as prison guards to go on strike. The Taylor Law allows public employees to organize and join unions, and it requires public employers to negotiate with unions. It also established procedures for resolving contract disputes. However, the restriction of strikes has been seen as controversial. The penalties for going on strike are steep."

Vincent noted that prison guards are not the first group of public employees to consider striking: "The prison guards wouldn’t be the first public employee group to go on strike. In 1968, the United Federation of Teachers went on strike as did the Buffalo Teachers Federation in 2000. New York City Transit Authority went on strike in 1980 and 2005. While this is rare, it is not unheard of."

Jeanette Yih Harvie, a military spouse and research associate at Syracuse University's D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), can discuss how such situations impact service members and their families. She highlighted findings from IVMF’s latest research report with Blue Star Families: approximately 50% of surveyors indicated that time away from family due to military service is a major concern, followed by issues related to military pay and deployment impacts on family.