A wildcat strike by New York state prison guards stretched into a third week Monday, prompting officials to start firing workers for failing to abide by a deal to end the illegal labor action.

The state’s homeland security commissioner, Jackie Bray, said terminations began Sunday and that on Monday the state would begin canceling health insurance for correctional officers who have remained on strike. Their dependents will also lose coverage.

Fewer than 10 officers have been fired so far, Bray said, while thousands are in line to lose their health insurance benefits.

A message seeking comment was left with the officers’ union, the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association.

At the same time, some workers at the Mid-State Correctional Facility in Marcy, New York, have been put on administrative leave following the death Saturday of a 22-year-old prisoner. The New York Times, citing accounts from other inmates, reported that he was beaten by correctional officers.

— The Associated Press