On 'Comp,' Tax Relief
Labor, Business Combine Forces

By REUVEN BLAU

The state's largest labor unions have joined forces with a group of private businesses to create an advocacy organization designed to find common ground among management and employees and lobby on their behalf.

The new association, which is called Business and Labor Coalition of New York (Balcony), plans to lobby state legislators and the new Governor to support progressive changes to the state's Workers' Compensation program and income tax regulations.

Hope for Middle Ground

"There are a bunch of issues before the Legislature that we have never been able to come up with a compromise [for]," said Alan Lubin, the executive vice president of New York State United Teachers.

Mr. Lubin, who has spearheaded the partnership, is co-chairing the organization with Bruce Ventimiglia, the chairman of Saratoga Capital Management, a mutual fund company based in Garden City, Nassau County.

According to Balcony, 85 percent of recently polled voters believe that business and labor should form coalitions to reach a consensus regarding issues concerning the state's economic development. "With that as an incentive, we reached out and we've put together a coalition that's willing to work on some of the tougher issues," Mr. Lubin remarked during a phone interview. "It's an effort to try to build some dialogue between labor and management for the good of New York State," said Stephen Madarasz, a spokesman for the Civil Service Employees' Association, which has joined the coalition.

Lobbying to change the burdensome state Workers' Compensation laws is one of the key issues Balcony will be addressing this upcoming legislative session, Mr. Lubin said. New York pays its injured workers some of the lowest benefits in the nation while it has exorbitantly high costs for management, according to Mr. Lubin. "There are ways of reaching a compromise where the costs can go down and the benefits can go up," he asserted.

Common Aspirations

Speaking at a Balcony meeting in May, Mr. Ventimiglia said that employees share many of the same dreams as the people who run the businesses where they work. "Our dreams of providing a top-notch education for our children, retiring in dignity and providing comprehensive health care benefits for our family members can be greatly supported by a healthy business," he added.

Balcony officials have already met with many of the state's top politicians. "We've spoken with Eliot Spitzer," Mr. Lubin noted. "Hillary Clinton said, 'It's about time.'''

He pointed out that Balcony would "not be a political group," and doesn't intend to endorse candidates. "We are going to be issue-oriented and bipartisan," Mr. Lubin said.

The coalition is still in its nascent stages. All the unions and business groups involved will pay between $200 and $10,000 in dues each year to help cover operating costs that will entail a media campaign and a yet-to-be-hired executive director. "We are looking to raise $300,000 to handle all of our operating costs," Mr. Lubin said. "The unions will decide what level they join."

Some of the large labor unions presently associated with the group include: Public Employees' Federation, New York State AFL-CIO, Communications Workers of America Local 1180, the Retail Wholesale Department Store Union, and UNITE HERE. The coalition's Web page is: www.balconynewyork.com.