The
Senate suspended its deliberations Tuesday without acting
on most of the other union-friendly and union-driven bills
that The Council has dubbed "Albany's Attack on Jobs."
But the Senate told members to be prepared to return to Albany
on 48 hours notice, suggesting that legislative leaders may
still be negotiating on some issues
Despite
strong Business Council opposition, state legislators have
approved a union-driven bill designed to leverage state purchasing
and contracting to help unions organize.
On
Tuesday, a day after The Business Council sent all state Senators
a strong memorandum
opposing the bill, the Senate put the bill on its "non-controversial"
calendar, which meant that it was voted on without debate
ALBANY—Below
is the text of the memorandum delivered today (July 1, 2002) to all members
of the New York State Senate:
TO:
Honorable
Members of the New York State Senate
FROM:
Daniel
B. Walsh, president and CEO
RE:
RE:
S
A new bill
to increase the state's minimum wage has been introduced in the state
Senate. The bill would also commission a study of issues related to the
minimum wage that would likely include the controversial idea of indexing.
Sen. Guy
Vellella (R-Bronx), chair of the Senate Labor Committee, introduced the
bill (S
A
new bill to increase the state's minimum wage has been introduced
in the state Senate. The bill would also commission a study
of issues related to the minimum wage that would likely include
the controversial idea of indexing
Lawmakers
this week moved closer to agreement on a bill to use the power
of state contracting to make it easier for unions to organize.
The Council is forcefully opposing the proposal.
The
Assembly passed the bill late Wednesday after the Governor
signaled his support by sending the Assembly a formal "message
of necessity" authorizing an immediate vote
Nearly
three of four people surveyed after leaving New York's welfare
rolls say they are better off than they were while receiving
benefits, a study released this month shows.
The
Rockefeller Institute of Government, a think tank affiliated
with the State University of New York, sampled 1,409 families
that left the state's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
(TANF) program in March and April of 1999
The
Business Council has joined the Leapfrog Initiative, a high-profile
initiative led by the national business community to leverage
the purchasing power of employers to promote improvements
in health-care quality and patient safety
ALBANYA
bill to use state contracting to encourage union organizing would unfairly
handcuff the management of any not-for-profit agency or business that receives
any state funds - and, in the process, give unions unfettered power to intimidate
workers deciding whether to organize, The Business Council said today
Lawmakers
have approved a measure designed to reduce New York's property
taxes on railroads. Governor George Pataki hailed the bill,
which was a top priority for The Business Council, and said
he intends to sign it