Posts tagged New York State Public Employment Relations Board
Federal Court Permanently Enjoins New York State’s Effort to Replace the NLRB
August 5, 2026 // The Court also noted that the NLRB regained a quorum less than one month after the preliminary injunction was issued, thus restoring the Board’s ability to function and undermining the defendant’s argument that the inoperability of the NLRB required expanded state jurisdiction. Accordingly, the Court granted summary judgment in Amazon’s favor, declared the SERA Amendment unconstitutional, and permanently enjoined its enforcement. The Court then dismissed the remaining claims as unnecessary in light of that relief. Shortly thereafter, the NLRB and New York State stipulated to the dismissal of their parallel litigation in the Northern District.
Amazon sues New York over union protections
September 24, 2025 // In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in New York City, Amazon argues that a newly minted state law giving the New York State Public Employment Relations Board authority to oversee union elections and resolve unfair labor practice charges is an "unconstitutional power grab" that's preempted by federal labor laws. Amazon was seeking a temporary restraining order blocking the law, but U.S. District Court judge Eric R. Komitee rejected that request in an order issued late Tuesday, citing a lack of notice to defendants named in the lawsuit. Lawyers for Amazon said the New York law "flips U.S. labor law on its head" by giving the state's PERB jurisdiction over every private-sector employer "until the NLRB gets a court to hold otherwise."
N.Y. Gov. Hochul signs 5 union protection bills, including Staten Island senator’s apprenticeship law
September 8, 2025 // Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton joined Gov. Kathy Hochul in celebrating the passage of bills seeking to protect and create union jobs in New York. Hochul passed five different bills on union labor, ranging from pay protections to apprenticeships — which was Scarcella-Spanton’s legislation.
Exclusive: New York Assembly staff goes public with union effort
January 19, 2023 // According to organizers, over 50 Assembly staffers have already signed cards, with nearly unanimous agreement from the card holders to go public. Organizers said that a lack of a central staff directory as well as inconsistencies between offices make it hard to peg the exact number of employees who would be eligible for the union, but they estimate that number to be between 700 and 800 staffers. Organizers chose to go public in part to help them reach more staffers that the lack of a directory has made difficult. The organizing committee itself is made up of legislative employees from around the state and who hold a variety of positions, from constituent services liaisons to chiefs of staff – a higher level position the Assembly plans to include in their bargaining unit unlike in the state Senate.