Page 27 - This Year in Albany 2025

BILLS SUCCESSFULLY OPPOSED
DOCCS Alternative Disciplinary Procedures
S.1671 (Salazar) / A.5355 (Tapia)
CSEA Position: Oppose
This bill removes disciplinary procedures from being a
mandatory subject of negotiation for all employees of the
Department of Corrections and Community Supervision
(DOCCS) who are accused of “serious misconduct.” The bill
would also allow the commissioner to terminate an employee
for any criminal conviction, meaning an employee could lose their
career over a decades-old shoplifting charge, a misdemeanor DUI
that occurred off duty, or other minor offenses unrelated to their work.
The EMPIRE Act
S.448-A (Hoylman-Sigal) / A.4278-A (Simon)
CSEA Position: Oppose
This legislation outsources wage theft enforcement actions to private organizations. This work is
performed by staff at the Department of Labor (DOL). Advocates of this legislation claim that it is
necessary because the DOL does not have sufficient staff. We agree that staffing levels must
increase. However, the solution is not the privatization of this function, rather, it is for the state to
hire additional staff to enforce these laws.
Diminishing Benefits
A.1780 (Fitzpatrick)
CSEA Position: Oppose
This legislation would exclude overtime earnings from an employee’s final average salary in
pension calculations. This would drastically reduce the final average salary for many employees,
diminishing their retirement benefit.
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