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.
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