What's happening
This bill expands public arbitration panel procedures for contract disputes to include upstate New York regional transportation authorities and their employee organizations.
Why it matters
Expanding binding arbitration eligibility to upstate transportation authorities means workers in regions like Buffalo, Rochester, Albany, and Syracuse will now have access to the same dispute resolution tool as those in New York City. This could potentially improve labor relations and reduce the risk of service disruptions due to contract stalemates in these areas.
By giving these upstate authorities the ability to resolve contract impasses through arbitration, the bill may lead to more predictable and stable labor agreements. This can help with long-term planning for both management and employees, and potentially enhance public confidence in the reliability of public transit systems outside NYC.
Including upstate authorities levels the playing field between downstate and upstate transit workers regarding collective bargaining rights. This change acknowledges the importance of upstate transit systems and their employees, potentially leading to improved working conditions and retention in regions that have sometimes struggled to attract and keep qualified transit workers.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Force Transit Talks to Arbitration
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
3 Co-sponsors
History
- Substituted by S5737
- Advanced to third reading cal.195
- Reported
- Reported referred to codes
- Referred to governmental employees
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Force Transit Contract Arbitration
Vetoed · Sponsor Timothy M. Kennedy
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
5342
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 11, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. ABBATE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental Employees
AN ACT to amend the civil service law, in relation to resolution of disputes in the course of collective negotiations
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 5 of section 209 of the civil service law, as added by chapter 929 of the laws of 1986, is amended to read as follows:
(a) In the event that the board certifies that a voluntary resolution of the contract negotiations between either (i) the New York city transit authority (hereinafter referred to as TA-public employer) and the public employee organization certified or recognized to represent the majority of employees of such TA-public employer, or (ii) the metropolitan transportation authority, including its subsidiaries, the New York city transit authority, including its subsidiary, and the Triborough bridge and tunnel authority (all hereinafter referred to as MTA-public employer) and a public employee organization certified or recognized to represent employees of such MTA-public employer not subject to the jurisdiction of the Federal Railway Labor Act and not subject to the provisions of subparagraph (i) [hereof] of this paragraph, which has made an election pursuant to paragraph (f) of this subdivision, or (iii) the Niagara Frontier transportation authority, the Rochester-Genesee regional transportation authority, the capital district transportation authority and the central New York regional transportation authority (all hereinafter referred to as upstate TA-public employer) and the public employee organization certified or recognized to represent the employees of such upstate TA-public employer, cannot be effected, or upon the joint request of the TA-public employer [or], the MTA-public employer (hereinafter jointly referred to as public employer) or the upstate TA-public employer and any such affected employee organization,
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07047-01-9
A. 5342 2
such board shall refer the dispute to a public arbitration panel, consisting of one member appointed by the public employer, one member appointed by the employee organization and one public member appointed jointly by the public employer and employee organization who shall be selected within ten days after receipt by the board of a petition for creation of the arbitration panel. If either party fails to designate its member to the public arbitration panel, the board shall promptly, upon receipt of a request by either party, designate a member associated in interest with the public employer or employee organization he is to represent. Each of the respective parties is to bear the cost of its member appointed or designated to the arbitration panel and each of the respective parties is to share equally the cost of the public member. If, within seven days after the mailing date, the parties are unable to agree upon the one public member, the board shall submit to the parties a list of qualified, disinterested persons for the selection of the public member. Each party shall alternately strike from the list one of the names with the order of striking determined by lot, until the remaining one person shall be designated as public member. This process shall be completed within five days of receipt of this list. The parties shall notify the board of the designated public member. The public member shall be chosen as chairman.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that the amendments to paragraph (a) of subdivision 5 of section 209 of the civil service law made by section one of this act shall not affect the expiration of such subdivision and shall be deemed to expire therewith.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.