Correction Officers' Benevolent Association

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Correction Officers' Benevolent Association (COBA)

COBA is a workers’ union for correction officers in New York City. It was founded in 1901 and is based in East Elmhurst, New York. The group represents corrections staff who work for the New York City Department of Correction, which runs the city’s jail system.

COBA is one of the biggest unions in New York’s law enforcement world. It is the second-largest law enforcement trade union in the state and the largest city jail union in the United States. Its membership is in the thousands.

Noteworthy decisions and activities
- During the COVID-19 pandemic, COBA helped secure personal protective equipment (PPE) for officers.
- The union criticized the city government’s response to COVID-19.
- COBA fought to bar visitors to Rikers Island during the pandemic.
- The association’s leaders have supported keeping solitary confinement and the operation of Rikers Island as a jail.
- COBA endorsed Barack Obama for president in 2008.
- The union pushed for a law making it a felony to throw feces at a corrections officer.
- COBA has worked toward pay and benefits parity with the NYPD and FDNY.

Leadership
- Benny Boscio Jr. has served as president since 2020.
- Elias Husamudeen served as acting president from 2016 to 2020.
- Norman Seabrook led the union from 1995 to 2016, followed by various successors.
- Other notable leaders have included Stanley Israel, Phil Seelig, Donald J. Cranston, and Harold Brown.

Website
- COBA’s official site is cobanyc.org.