{"id":482499,"date":"2022-08-08T23:57:59","date_gmt":"2022-08-08T20:57:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/state-senators-to-get-a-reality-check-as-their-own-workers-unionize\/"},"modified":"2022-08-08T23:57:59","modified_gmt":"2022-08-08T20:57:59","slug":"state-senators-to-get-a-reality-check-as-their-own-workers-unionize","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/state-senators-to-get-a-reality-check-as-their-own-workers-unionize\/","title":{"rendered":"#State senators to get a reality check as their own workers unionize"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a23a2a074f60\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a23a2a074f60\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/state-senators-to-get-a-reality-check-as-their-own-workers-unionize\/#%E2%80%9CState_senators_to_get_a_reality_check_as_their_own_workers_unionize%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;State senators to get a reality check as their own workers unionize&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CState_senators_to_get_a_reality_check_as_their_own_workers_unionize%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;State senators to get a reality check as their own workers unionize&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Labor leaders were giddy when a group of state Senate employees last month announced their intent to unionize. But if the group achieves its objective \u2014 to subject senators to the sweeping union rules Albany imposes on local governments and schools \u2014 the result may be more than what labor bargained for.<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ZackFinkNews\/status\/1547900749509582848\">About 80 of the Senate\u2019s roughly 1,000 employees<\/a> have formed the New York State Legislative Workers United. In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the group demanded the same bargaining privileges New York\u2019s Taylor Law grants state and municipal employees and teachers. <\/p>\n<p>In other words, the staffers want state regulators to force senators to negotiate with them and bind lawmakers to the contract terms.<\/p>\n<p>The legality of that scheme is, at best, highly questionable. A union would run into constitutional issues if it asked a judge to enforce a labor contract on the Legislature, a separate and independent branch of government. But if the nascent union succeeds in forcing senators to the table, lawmakers will be in for a rude awakening.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s because the Taylor Law does far more than make bosses negotiate wages and benefits. The statute has been interpreted to make close to everything in a workplace that isn\u2019t nailed to the floor negotiable. And it essentially bars employers from managing their own workforce without the union\u2019s permission.<\/p>\n<p>After the bill\u2019s 55 years on the books, Taylor Law contracts control, among other things, the length of the school day, prevent state and local managers from firing employees who commit crimes at work and prioritize an employee\u2019s seniority over how well he or she does the job.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/08\/andrea-stewart-cousins.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"The staffers sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins demanding they have the same bargaining privileges that other state employees have under the Taylor Law.\" class=\"wp-image-23377404\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/08\/andrea-stewart-cousins.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/08\/andrea-stewart-cousins.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/08\/andrea-stewart-cousins.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>The staffers sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins demanding they have the same bargaining privileges that other state employees have under the Taylor Law.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">AP Photo\/Hans Pennink<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Even the tiniest reasonable changes to make government more efficient \u2014 like eliminating a vacant position, modernizing a performance evaluation form or asking employees to punch a time clock \u2014 can require special permission from the union.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Taylor Law in many respects is the Empire State\u2019s unseen policy villain, contributing to most of the city\u2019s and state\u2019s top challenges but always escaping scrutiny.<\/p>\n<p>The United Federation of Teachers\u2019 stranglehold over city schools, the rank inefficiency of the New York City subway and Long Island\u2019s crushing property taxes all trace their roots to the Taylor Law. (The maintenance nightmares New York City Housing Authority residents endure and city beaches\u2019 lifeguard-scheduling drama are linked to a similar local collective-bargaining ordinance covering most city workers.) <\/p>\n<p>But state lawmakers ostensibly concerned about student outcomes, the plight of straphangers or Nassau County\u2019s cost of living rarely utter the words at the heart of the issue \u2014 \u201cthe Taylor Law!\u201d \u2014 lest they anger union leaders before the next election.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>And the Taylor Law makes those elections less meaningful because union contracts often determine how government operates more than do the decisions made by the people voters chose.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Lawmakers can afford to ignore the law\u2019s negative consequences in part because most don\u2019t live directly with them. Nothing, though, would make the flexibility the Senate enjoys evaporate faster than making that body subject to the Taylor Law. The practice in many senators\u2019 offices of having aides wear multiple hats, work odd schedules and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a> to and from Albany with their bosses would likely stop being a given.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The experience might just be disruptive enough to break through Albany\u2019s generations of\u00a0cognitive dissonance. Losing near-complete discretion over their personal taxpayer-funded fiefdoms could finally prompt senators to recognize how much control they\u2019ve taken away from other elected officials.<\/p>\n<p>Everyone \u2014 from progressives frustrated about police accountability and public transit to limited-government conservatives eager to cut taxes \u2014 stands to win if lawmakers get an up-close and personal encounter with the law and decide to embrace overdue reforms, like limiting the scope and duration of union contracts.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">App<\/a>lying the Taylor Law, with all its extremes and excesses, to the Senate would be a fine thing for Senate staffers \u2014 one their labor brothers and sisters might soon come to regret.<\/p>\n<p><em>Ken\u00a0Girardin\u00a0is a fellow at the Empire Center for Public Policy in Albany.<\/em>\n                        <\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/08\/08\/state-senators-to-get-a-reality-check-as-their-own-workers-unionize\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;State senators to get a reality check as their own workers unionize&#8221; Labor leaders were giddy when a group of state Senate employees last month announced their intent to unionize. But if the group achieves its objective \u2014 to subject senators to the sweeping union rules Albany imposes on local governments and schools \u2014 the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":482500,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/08\/ny-state-senate.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[7309,132134,71386,72693,72940],"class_list":["post-482499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-unions","tag-8-8-22","tag-albany","tag-new-york-state-senate","tag-united-federation-of-teachers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=482499"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482499\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/482500"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=482499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=482499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=482499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}