Council Labor Chair Sets Sights on State Senate;
Addabbo Challenging Maltese
By ARI PAUL

City Council Civil Service and Labor Committee Chairman Joseph P. Addabbo has plans to reform the Taylor Law - if Queens voters send him to Albany in November.

GO NORTH, YOUNG MAN: With his City Council tenure scheduled to end in 17 months due to the city's Term Limits Law, Council Civil Service and Labor Chairman Joseph P. Addabbo Jr. (left) is running for the Queens State Senate seat now held by Serphin Maltese, banking heavily on his labor support and a strong Democratic turnout in the November election.

Councilman Addabbo, a Democrat who will be term-limited out of the Council next year, announced July 12 that he is running for State Senate in the 15th District against Republican incumbent Serphin R. Maltese.

Taylor Law Used As 'Whip'

In addition to capturing a seat that could tip control of Albany's upper house to the Democrats, Councilman Addabbo said in an interview last week that he hopes to reform the state's Taylor Law, contending that as it is written now, it stacks the deck against unions. As it is written, public-sector workers do not have the right to strike but are entitled to arbitration when negotiations come to an impasse.

"It's a whip pointed at the worker," he said. "We need to reform the Taylor Law to encourage people to stay on the job but also encourage employers to negotiate."

Citing the recent arbitration deal between the city and the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, Councilman Addabbo believes that many public-sector labor disputes drag for too long in arbitration. The PBA case, he said, produced a contract that was already nearly two years out of date. The delay had left starting pay for Police Officers to idle at $25,100 since the beginning of 2006, leading to a recruitment problem.

"We're just forcing workers to work without a contract, for the benefit of the employer and the detriment of the people and the workers," he said.

Bloomberg administration officials had charged, however, that it was the PBA that stalled first the negotiations on a deal and later the arbitration process in the hope that the recruiting problems would increase its bargaining leverage.

What has stood in the way of a Taylor Law change that would hold management accountable if it didn't negotiate in good faith, Councilman Addabbo asserted, was Senator Maltese and the Republican-controlled Senate.

An Advocate for Workers

The son of a deceased U.S. Congressman, he has championed many labor issues in his two terms, most recently successfully driving resolutions calling on Congress to pass the Employee Free Choice Act, which would make it easier for workers to form unions, and the James Zadroga Act, which would secure Federal funding for 9/11 first responders suffering from Ground Zero-related illnesses and injuries.

Mr. Addabbo has also gained favor with many unions, recently taking his name off a City Hall-backed bill that would give the Police Department oversight on air monitoring, and questioning a plan by the Department of Citywide Administrative Services to reclassify certain job titles from the Competitive Class to the Non-Competitive Class in order to reduce provisionals and offer more civil service exams. Several unions claim the proposal would actually have the effect of eviscerating civil service career paths and giving management carte blanche on promotions while also reducing the rights of those whose jobs are made Non-Competitive.

He has already been endorsed by unions including Communications Workers of America Locals 1180 and 1182, the Doctors Council, and Civil Service Technical Guild Local 375 of District Council 37.

Cites Spousal Benefits Support

District Council 37 Retirees Association President Stuart Leibowitz said his organization endorsed Councilman Addabbo because as Civil Service and Labor Committee Chair, he supported a bill that would allow spouses of retired city workers who died to continue receiving medical benefits, even while Council Speaker Christine Quinn opposed it because of its presumed expense.

"Joe Addabbo has been a consistent supporter of this bill," Mr. Leibowitz said. "The retirees believe in general that elected officials or candidates for office, if you support our issue when we need you, we will tend to support you when you need us."

Senator Maltese, who was first elected to the State Senate in 1988, has spoken alongside labor advocates in encouraging 9/11 responders to seek Workers Compensation, and helped broker a deal last year between Transport Workers Union Local 100 and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority leading to a compromise bill addressing subway track-work safety.

Fire, Police Union Backing

In past elections, he has also racked up a plethora of union endorsements, including several fire and police unions, and recently received an endorsement from the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators.

Senator Maltese said that he opposed any recommendations to the Taylor Law that would give more power to the employer, despite, he said, the fact that he is a conservative Republican.

"I also come from a working family and I represent a blue-collar district, and as a result I'm not interested in weighting the scale on the side of the employer," he said in a phone interview.

'Unions Know I'll Help More'

Senator Maltese said he would be a more effective friend of labor in the State Senate because Councilman Addabbo, if elected, would be a junior lawmaker. He remained confident that unions would support his campaign, too.

"I think he's going to find that many of the unions have been working with me in the past," he said.

In addition to labor issues, Councilman Addabbo argued that Senator Maltese has not addressed tenants' concerns during his time in the State Legislature.

"I do have respect for him," he said. "I just believe at this point I could do a better job."