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Proposed amendment to the NY State Constitution would give all employees the right to strike!

A NY State Assembly bill (A906) now in committee proposes an amendment to the NY State Constitution, declaring the right to strike an employee right. Most of you are probably aware that the insidious Taylor Law, originally passed in 1967, prohibits NY State public employees from striking. Public sector workers have continued to strike in NY and other states with similar laws despite the anti-labor policies on many state governments. However, laws like the Taylor Law are used–too often successfully–by corporate union leadership to stifle militancy, democracy, and rank-and-file activism among union members. It is unclear what impact the proposed Assembly bill would have in terms of reversing the Taylor Law, but any legislation that recognizes the withholding of labor as a fundamental workers’ right is a step in the right direction. While we certainly do not advocate waiting for legislative change to begin strike preparations at CUNY, we do encourage everyone to support the proposed bill.

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