RAY BROOK — North Country Rep. Elise Stefanik is calling for corrections officers and staff at the Federal Correctional Institution in Ray Brook to receive a pay raise, saying their location in northern New York gives them a higher cost-of-living and calling the current locality pay “stagnant.”

On Friday, Stefanik sent a letter to Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor asking him to review the cost-of-living data in the North Country and to increase the medium-security FCI Ray Brook’s “locality pay” to the New York City rate.

Locality pay is a percentage adjustment rate on the base rates for each position. At FCI Ray Brook, it is 17.06%. In New York City, it is 37.95%.

Jennifer Rockhill, president of AFGE Local 3882, the union representing FCI Ray Brook’s corrections officers, said the union has been trying to get locality pay increased for a while. She spoke with representatives from other prisons who got their rates changed and they told her it “took an act of Congress.” So she reached out to Stefanik, asking her to advocate for them.

“I have heard directly from correctional officers and staff at FCI Ray Brook who are struggling with the growing gap between their compensation and the state’s rapidly rising cost of living,” Stefanik wrote. “New York has experienced a significant increase in housing prices, property taxes, energy costs and other basic living expenses over the past several years under the Hochul Administration.”

Stefanik said a pay increase could help with recruitment and retention of staff, recognize the staff’s work, improve morale and compensate the officers fairly.

“Some of our staff who are retiring said that if we were able to raise our locality that they would stay longer,” Rockhill said.

She’s heard staff who transfer in from other prisons say “I don’t how you guys can afford to live here.” Their current warden, who came from Brooklyn, told her the North Country is just as — if not more — expensive to live in as New York City.

Rockhill said around 95% of FCI Ray Brook’s staff drive more than an hour into work from Malone or Plattsburgh because they can’t afford homes in the Tri-Lakes.

“The cost of living is ridiculous,” Rockhill said.

She added that changing the North Country locality rate to mirror New York City’s would make FCI Ray Brook’s pay more equal to the pay rate at state prisons. Often, she said, people confuse FCI Ray Brook with a state prison. Adirondack Correctional Facility is right next door. But federal COs make less per hour.

When state COs around New York went on an unsanctioned wildcat strike earlier this year, Rockhill said FCI Ray Brook picked up a couple of the striking officers from across the road. But several of them have returned to the state correctional system because of the significant pay gap, she added.

FCI Ray Brook currently has 82 corrections officers and 851 inmates. In March, they had 70 corrections officers and 796 inmates. Rockhill said the inmate number is up quite a bit as more inmates get moved here to make room for immigration detentions at other federal prisons. She said FCI Ray Brook is not being used for immigration detentions currently.

Rising costs and political blame

Stefanik took the opportunity to throw a couple of jabs at Gov. Kathy Hochul. Stefanik has been preparing to declare her candidacy for the governorship, and may face off against Hochul, depending on how the primaries shake out.

“New York suffers proportionally worse than the rest of the United States due to the affordability crisis under failed Governor Kathy Hochul,” Stefanik said, adding that officers are “under constant attack by the Hochul Administration and Far Left New York Democrats.”

The cost of living has been rising significantly in the North Country and nationally. There are a multitude of reasons for this. Politicians are blaming each other. Stefanik blames Hochul and Far Left New York Democrats. Hochul blames President Donald Trump and Republicans like Stefanik.

The international nonprofit organization United Way’s has annual reports on working families who are above the federal poverty line but still struggle to pay for all the necessities of life — what they call Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed, or, ALICE. The latest report is for 2023.

In the 2022 report, 27% of Franklin County households were below the ALICE threshold and 30% of Essex County households were below. In the 2023 report, 42% of Franklin County households were below the ALICE threshold and 41% of Essex County households were below.

In 2022, the report calculated the bare minimum monthly cost to live and work in Franklin County for an adult with one child (not in child care) at $3,505. That required an hourly wage of $21.03.

In 2023, this lifestyle cost $3,689 a month, which required a $22.13 hourly wage.

In 2022, the report calculated the bare minimum monthly cost to live and work in Essex County for an adult with one child (not in child care) at $3,723. That required an hourly wage of $22.34.

In 2023, this lifestyle cost $3,995 a month, which required a $23.97 hourly wage.

Stefanik said it’s unfair that people in rural areas are less-compensated than metropolitan areas but are subject to the same economic pressures.

“We are extremely grateful that the congresswoman has taken the time to send a letter to OPM on our behalf and that she sees the struggles we have,” Rockhill said. “This is the furthest we’ve ever been able to get with changing our locality rate.”