BY JIMMY LAWTONNorth Country This Week

Most corrections officers have returned to work in St. Lawrence County with around two dozen or so reportedly holding out in Gouverneur and Ogdensburg, according to unofficial reports.

Although "North Country This Week" could not confirm the information, corrections officers at neighboring facilities in Franklin county had larger numbers of officers “holding the line.”

Those who did not return to work are expected to face criminal charges, administration and criminal proceedings a message issued by state officials says.

At this time it still remains unclear if the 85% of the striking corrections officers have returned to work. That's the percentage required under an agreement between the state and the union which offered protections, extra pay, improved mail inspections and body scanning requirements for all who enter the facilities.

It also allowed officers who had their insurance canceled a chance to pay for COBRA coverage.

However, the deal was contingent on returning to work today and would only kick in if 85% of the workforce clocked in.

At this time the state does not know if the threshold has been met and it's unclear what will happen to those who returned to work if the 85% mark isn't hit.

For those who did not return to work the message from the state leaves little wiggle room.

Officials say legal action will be taken against them.

Corrections officers still holding the line today condemned the deal, saying it fails to ensure safe working conditions for officers.

They say the deal does not give any promise of rescinding the controversial HALT act, which allows for segregated confinement of inmates as safety measures for officers and other inmates.

The latest deal was negotiated Friday and hammered out on Saturday, with incentives for those who returned to work Sunday and some assurances for those who returned to work today.

This is the third deal that has been hammered out by the state and the union,

The strikes have caused a major disruption in the prison system and led to the deployment of the National Guard to supplement understaffed prisons.

During the strikes there were multiple prisons that lost control of inmates which led to the deployments of Corrections Emergency Response Teams to secure the facilities.

Supporters, family members and friends have joined corrections officers in speaking out against the HALT act. They've asked members of the local government to support the strike, despite the fact it violates the Taylor Law.

For the past two full weeks officers and retirees have gathered outside facilities burning wood in barrels to stay warm.

It has also prompted resignations from a number of corrections officers at local facilities.

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