Hochul easy on crooks, tough on staff

Editor, OBSERVER:

Gov. Kathy Hochul has signed and or supported several legislative measures, including Bail Reform, the Less is More Act, the Clean Slate Act, and the HALT Bill. These laws aim to reform aspects of the criminal justice system, impacting individuals who have been convicted of crimes.

Recently, Hochul issued an Executive Order preventing New York employees from working for all state agencies and barring them from future employment as police or peace officers, even though these workers have not been convicted of any crime. This executive action raises questions about its impact on state employees.

It appears that the governor has potentially violated state laws related to Human Rights, EEOC regulations, discrimination protections, state Workman’s Compensation benefits, and federal regulations under the Family Medical Leave Act. This concerns the announcement of the termination of over 2000 Correction workers who were on strike. It is noteworthy that some officers were on bereavement leave, recovering from work-related injuries, on maternity or paternity leave, or on family medical leave at the time of their dismissal.

Given these circumstances, it raises the question of whether the Governor should face charges more severe than those imposed on the state corrections officers forced to strike due to unaddressed safety concerns. Additionally, it may be worth considering whether the governor should be restricted from further employment in New York. Applying the same rules to the governor as she has enacted for others would seem equitable.

Hochul has once again demonstrated that convicted criminals have more rights than those employees under her. Isn’t that exactly why the workers went on strike to begin with? I guess she proved them right once again.

VINNY BLASIO,

West Seneca