Regular and Special Sessions Fall Short on Labor's Agenda

NYS AFL-CIO to Review Policies for Political, Legislative and Grassroots Support

ALBANY, NY (06/30/2009)(readMedia)-- New York State AFL-CIO President Denis Hughes, representing 2.5 million members throughout the state, today issued the following statement:

It goes without saying that the 2009 Legislative session has been, to put it kindly, unique. And considering that the ongoing "Special" session looks like it may go on for quite some time, it is safe to say that in terms of enacting labor oriented bills to help working families in New York State, the legislature and Governor have fallen well short of reasonable expectations.

The shortcomings of this year are not just of note for union members, but all working men and women who rely on government to keep the playing field level between the extremely powerful corporate interests and ordinary, working people. The failure to enact an unemployment insurance increase and indexation is the primary example of this, but the list goes on and on, including an attack on pensions of working men and women, the failure to rein in Industrial Development Agencies (IDAs), and the failure to address our structural, long term revenue problems.

Make no mistake about it. The legislature and the Governor have consistently and willfully ignored the needs of working men and women. As a result, organized labor in this state has a unified sense that many of its traditional "friends" have taken the support of the labor movement for granted.

As such, the New York State AFL-CIO will begin a comprehensive review of its political, legislative and grassroots support initiatives. With control of the Senate in limbo and individual legislators sometimes breaking with leaders' positions, we now must look at who stands up for workers in difficult economic times.

Individual lawmakers who take anti-union positions or who play to the masses by scapegoating hard working men and women as the cause of Albany's dysfunction will have to answer for their statements.

Let me make this clear: The labor movement in this state will not tolerate another legislative session as the one we have just been through.

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