PERB Commemorates 50th Anniversary of the Public Employees’ Fair Employment Act

The New York State Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) today announced the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Public Employees’ Fair Employment Act, commonly known as the Taylor Law, with the issuance of a citation by Governor Andrew Cuomo. To view the citation, click here.

Additionally, PERB today announced a new two-day conference in May 2018, in partnership with the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, to recognize New York’s Taylor Law and its substantial influence on public sector labor relations over the past half century.

“We at PERB thank Governor Cuomo for recognizing the importance of the rights conferred by the Taylor Law, and the work PERB has accomplished,” PERB Chair John Wirenius said. “We are excited about the wide range of panelists and speakers who will participate in this conference and exchange views on how to meet the challenges confronting both management and labor, as the Taylor Law and PERB enter their second half-century.”

The 50th Anniversary Conference will take place May 10-11, 2018 at the Desmond Hotel and Conference Center in Albany, New York. The call for papers can be viewed here. Those interested in attending the conference can email ksanderl@perb.ny.gov for more information.

Passed by the New York State Legislature and signed into law by Governor Nelson Rockefeller, the Taylor Law became effective September 1, 1967, and was one of the first comprehensive labor relations laws for public employees in the United States.

The Taylor Law is a labor relations statute that guarantees the right of most public employees to union representation and collective bargaining - whether employed by the State, or by counties, cities, towns, villages, school districts, public authorities or certain special service districts.

The Taylor Law:

 

Grants public employees the right to organize and to be represented by employee organizations of their own choice 

 

Requires public employers to negotiate and enter into agreements with public employee organizations regarding employees' terms and conditions of employment 

 

Establishes impasse procedures for the resolution of collective bargaining disputes 

 

Defines and prohibits improper practices by public employers and public employee organizations 

 

Prohibits strikes by public employees 

 

Establishes a state agency to administer the Law — The Public Employment Relations Board (PERB)

Additional information on the Taylor Law, the Public Employment Relations Board, and the 50th anniversary of the Taylor Law can be found on the PERB website at www.perb.ny.gov. 

Source: Public Employee Relations Board