Editor’s Note: Some background material for this article was provided by “Jerome Lefkowitz: A Pragmatic Intellect and Major Figure in Taylor Law History,” an essay written by former CSEA Senior Counsel William A. Herbert, who left CSEA in 2007 to serve PERB’s Deputy Chairperson under Lefkowitz until 2013.
Lefkowitz
ALBANY — CSEA is mourning the loss of Jerome “Jerry” Lefkowitz, 86, former CSEA deputy counsel and state Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) chairperson.
Lefkowitz was instrumental in drafting the 1967 Public Employees’ Fair Employment Act, commonly known as the Taylor Law. This law gave New York’s public employees the right to negotiate fair wages, strong health benefits and workplace protections, and has been at the center of our public employee labor relations for the past 50 years.
As noted in his Albany Times Union obituary, Lefkowitz’ ‘quiet passion for law and justice informed his career path.’
“Jerry had a long, distinguished career as an advocate for labor and public employees,” CSEA President Danny Donohue said. “As a key member of the commission that drafted the law, Jerry’s contribution to its development and the protections it offers cannot be overstated.”
He began his state government service in the 1950s and had served in several capacities, including in the state Department of Labor.
He was employed at that agency in the 1960s when the state and several municipalities faced labor unrest stemming from the Condon-Wadlin Act, which prohibited public employees from striking, did not allow collective bargaining and didn’t give workers an alternative means for settling labor-management disputes.
According to “Jerome Lefkowitz: A Pragmatic Intellect and Major Figure in Taylor Law History,” an essay written by former CSEA Senior Counsel William A. Herbert to mark the 50th anniversary of the Taylor Law in 2017, Lefkowitz had been asked by counsel to Gov. Nelson Rockefeller to draft legislation to end the 1966 New York City transit strike.
While the strike soon ended, Rockefeller had formed a commission to address ongoing public employee labor issues, led by University of Pennsylvania-Wharton School’s George Taylor. Lefkowitz drafted the legislation that would become Public Employees’ Fair Employment Act, or the Taylor Law.
The Taylor Law also prohibited strikes by public employees, but it gave public employees the right to collectively bargain. It also established a charter of rights for public employees, and established the state Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) to oversee the law. Gov. Nelson Rockefeller signed the law in April 1967.
“[The Taylor Law] converted CSEA from an association that lobbied, effectively, but lobbied for benefits, to a union that negotiates for benefits,” Lefkowitz said in a 2001 interview with CSEA for our union’s CSEA 100 History Project. “The processes are quite different and have different results.”
After the law was enacted, Lefkowitz became the deputy chairperson of PERB, the state agency that administers the law. He served in that position for 19 years before joining CSEA in 1987.
As our union’s deputy counsel for 20 years, Lefkowitz not only served as an expert in the law he drafted, but worked for justice for working people across the state. As noted in Herbert’s essay, Lefkowitz mentored scores of union attorneys and law students and was beloved among CSEA staff for his knowledge and patience.
“Jerry was a valued colleague, a champion of labor and a dear friend to us at CSEA and to working people everywhere,” Donohue said. “He will be deeply missed.”
In 2007, Lefkowitz left CSEA after he was appointed as chairperson of PERB. His tenure at the agency was marked by fairness, balance and neutral application of the very laws he helped craft. He retired from PERB in 2015.
Lefkowitz, who was born in the Bronx, leaves his wife, Myrna, four children and 10 grandchildren. Off the job, family was his top priority. He was also active in Albany’s Jewish community. He was also known for his love of tennis.
— Janice Gavin
Read Herbert’s essay: tinyurl.com/lefkowitz-bio
