Assembly Labor Chair Harry Bronson (AD-138) hosted a press conference to announce his legislation, the NLRB Trigger Bill (S.8034A/A.8590A), being signed into law over the weekend. Assemblymember Bronson was joined by Dan Maloney, President of the Rochester Labor Council and Rochester & Genesee Valley Area Labor Federation, a critical advocate for the legislation being passed.

The NLRB Trigger Bill, which garnered wide support from unions statewide, ensures that New York workers and organized labor are protected against President Trump’s attack on working people. With this new law in place, the New York State Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) has the authority to assert jurisdiction over disputes between employers and recognized employee organizations if the National Labor Relations Board is unable or refuses to do so. New York State is the first in the nation to pass such a law.

The legislation was part of a package of bills Governor Kathy Hochul signed over the weekend with the intent of preserving, strengthening, and expanding labor protections in New York. The need for states to take action to enforce and codify labor laws is clear as the federal government, abetted by an extremist Supreme Court, systematically seeks to undo safeguards and remove rights that support New York’s hardworking families and keep our economy thriving.

“The NLRB Trigger Law sets in place meaningful protections at the state-level that counteract the Trump administration's attack on workers and the middle class. As Chair of the Assembly Labor Committee, I am committed to always fighting for the protections which New Yorkers have earned and deserve – good wages, the right to safe workplaces, the right to organize and select who will represent them, and the right to take action when their worker rights are threatened,” said Assemblymember Harry Bronson. “Thank you, Governor Hochul and organized labor, for standing with me to defend our workers and send a strong message that we will not back down.”

"Workers are continually under attack by an administration catering to billionaire CEOs, but here in New York, we have taken decisive action to protect workers. I express my deep gratitude to Assemblymember Bronson for his pivotal role in standing up for workers’ rights by sponsoring this critical legislation that is now law,” said Mario Cilento, President – New York State AFL-CIO. “If the NLRB cannot or will not fulfill its duties and obligations, then the State of New York will step in to ensure a fair process and protect the rights of working people."

“In recent years, a coordinated and heavily funded assault on core labor rights has steadily undermined the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) capacity to operate with fairness and impartiality. That ongoing effort has now intensified into a direct attempt to dismantle and deliberately obstruct the NLRB’s work, all with the goal of weakening protections for all workers,” said Dan Maloney, President - Rochester Labor Council and Rochester & Genesee Valley Area Labor Federation. “I extend my sincere thanks to Assemblymember Bronson for his work to protect New York’s workers and unions by sponsoring the legislation the governor signed into law. This new law ensures that if the NLRB refuses or is unable to provide a fair and reliable process for ensuring labor rights, New York can step in to be that voice for the working people of this state.”