A labor standoff that has roiled New York’s prison system for more than two weeks reached a critical point on Friday, March 7, with striking correction officers ordered to return to work that day or they would be fired.
State officials had made public on Thursday night the terms of their latest offer to workers, with a sharp deadline attached. They promised in a video address that the state wouldn’t penalize those who took part in an illegal strike as long as they showed up for the morning or evening shift on Friday.
Those who failed to return would be subject to termination…