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New York union bargaining impacted by budget

On Behalf of | Apr 26, 2017 | Employee Benefits |

Being part of a union can be a positive and beneficial experience for some employees in New York. Union members are afforded certain employee benefits, and these benefits are protected by the employee’s membership within the union. One of these benefits is collective bargaining. Whether an employee seeks to negotiate wage, hours, or other work condition details, this process helps union member negotiate a fair and workable agreement.

Based on recent reports, the city of New York is currently negotiating contracts with municipal unions. During this process, Bill Linn, the city’s director of labor relations is seeking to get ahead of the game. Linn noticed that there were no current labor agreements set in place when Mayor Bill Blasio took office in 2014, but as of now nearly the entire workforce has a labor agreement.

Linn has stressed the benefits of having collective bargaining agreements in place, as they assist union members in thinking rationally in terms of how they want to deal with budget issues. Ideally, Linn seeks to bargain before contracts run out because this helps them avoid complex and timely negotiations. Noting that some contracts are due to expire this year and next, Linn heavily stressed that the state and city budgets are important to the collective bargaining process. Any cuts by the federal government could directly affect the collective bargaining process.

The labor laws affecting unions and their members can be complex, having a direct impact on collective bargaining. Therefore, whether you are seeking to invoke your employee rights or protect the collective bargaining process, it is important to understand the process and what specific rights are afforded to union members. This could help members address or avoid labor law issues.