State Budget Includes Important Protections for Workers Prior to Ruling on Janus Case

Albany – “Once again, New York is leading the rest of the country in protecting the rights of working men and women. The Janus v AFSCME case before the U.S. Supreme Court is an attempt to weaken all sectors of the labor movement, but here in New York State workers will have the protections they need to be able to continue to have a unified voice in the workplace,” said New York State AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento.

“This legislation is about New York State pushing back against a well-funded attack by corporations and billionaires. The Janus case is an attempt by right wing ideologues to diminish wages, benefits, worker safety, and worst of all, silence the voice of workers.

“The federal government and many other states have bought into this misguided ideology and the reward for workers is lower pay, disappearing health and pension benefits and a lower standard of living.  But not in New York, where we have historically lead the nation in worker rights. We are proud that our elected leaders, in a bi-partisan way, have honored that history and more importantly a worker’s right to have a voice in their workplace.

“We thank Governor Andrew Cuomo for standing up for working people and recognizing that a strong labor movement raises the standard of living and quality of life for all working people.

“We also thank Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and IDC Leader Jeff Klein for their leadership on this important issue.

“This would also not have been possible without the unwavering support of the bill sponsors, Assemblyman Peter Abbate and Sen. Marisol Alcantara,” Cilento said.

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The New York State AFL-CIO is a federation of 3,000 affiliated public sector, private sector, and building trades unions throughout the state representing 2.5 million members, retirees and their families. Our State Federation, which is the largest and most diverse in the country, is committed to helping working families achieve a better life. For more information on the Labor Movement in New York, visit www.nysaflcio.org.