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Presented by Compassion & Choices: Erin Durkin and Anna Gronewold's must-read briefing informing the daily conversation among knowledgeable New Yorkers | | | | |  | | By Anna Gronewold, Sally Goldenberg and Zachary Schermele | Presented by Compassion & Choices | Now that Assembly staffers have followed their Senate counterparts in going public with their union efforts, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins are both being watched for official voluntary recognition requests. A legislative staffers union has been a long time coming for positions that include inconsistent salaries, grueling working conditions and hundreds of hours of unpaid overtime (which translates to comp time, which rarely gets used). But despite a foundation of support across the Democratic-led chambers, final conclusions are likely still a long way off, organizers tell us. For one, there’s no clear roadmap for unionizing within a state legislature, said Jessica Madris, who works in Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas’ office, and Astrid Aune, who works for Sen. Jessica Ramos. There’s the model taken by staffers in Congress, which is essentially an office-by-office effort. There’s also the model taken by the New York City Council, which includes member and central staff offices, creating a longer process because of it. The New York State Legislative Workers United group that Senate staffers created last year — which the Assembly group is joining — has chosen the latter. Figuring out how to include a broad range of positions across the two chambers, which are technically two separate employers, which also vary in their structures and needs, will take time. They don’t have a clear list of demands yet either. It would be odd for them to specify their objectives before the majority of staff on either side are signed on, Aune said. There are questions about how the state’s collective bargaining law would apply to the Legislature, detailed by the right-leaning Empire Center, but both Aune and Madris said they — and the counsel they’ve retained — are confident in the path they’ve chosen. For now, they’re continuing to build support, which Madris said has intensified during one of the first truly hectic Januarys the Legislature has seen since the pandemic. She emphasized it’s from all levels of aides and offices of members across the state. “We're not just employees that work in socialists’ offices in Brooklyn,” she said. “This is going to be a union for all of us.” The biggest roadblock to the effort right now will probably be that no one has much extra time during the all-consuming budget season, Aune said. “I don't anticipate the big, scary union-busting stories,” Aune said. “Andrea Stewart-Cousins is not Jeff Bezos. Carl Heastie is not Howard Schultz. That's not what we're dealing with and it's also not why we're unionizing. We have a structural problem, not a personality problem.” IT’S FRIDAY. Got tips, suggestions or thoughts? Let us know ... By email: agronewold@politico.com and sgoldenberg@politico.com or on Twitter: @annagronewold and @sallygold WHERE’S KATHY? In Albany with no public events scheduled. WHERE’S ERIC? No public events scheduled. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “This is not a personal fight. This is an institutional fight.” — Hochul to NY1’s Errol Louis on continuing to reject the Senate judiciary’s rejection of her chief judge pick, Hector LaSalle.
| | | | A message from Compassion & Choices: Stacey Gibson's husband, Sid, spent his final days suffering needlessly because lawmakers failed to ensure access to the full range of end-of-life care options, including medical aid in dying. After being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Stacey is now fighting for the right to peace at the end of life for herself should she need it. Tell lawmakers to stop the suffering and pass the Medical Aid in Dying Act in 2023. Learn More. | | | |  | What City Hall's reading | | “New York Pays $121 Million for Police Misconduct, the Most in 5 Years,” by The New York Times’ Hurubie Meko: “Police misconduct settlements in New York City last year were driven to their highest level since 2018 by six payouts over $10 million, including one for Muhammad A. Aziz, whose conviction in the assassination of Malcolm X was thrown out after he spent two decades in prison. Those cases, with a total value of about $73 million, accounted for about 60 percent of the settlements the Police Department paid last year, according to an analysis of city data released on Tuesday by the Legal Aid Society, New York’s largest provider of criminal and civil services for indigent clients.” “In a shift, City Hall will consider hybrid work, union says,” by WNYC’s Elizabeth Kim: “City Hall has agreed to consider municipal workers' demands for a hybrid schedule as part of ongoing contract talks, marking a significant shift in its stance toward remote work, according to a municipal union. ‘Previously, the city had made it clear that they were not interested in negotiations regarding telework/hybrid schedule for the union’s members,’ wrote Carl Cook, a vice president for negotiations and research for SSEU Local 371, in a letter to union members. ‘However, after the persistence of the union and its representatives, the city has changed its position and will now review the demand.’” “With NYC migrant mega-shelter more than half full, Adams faces heat for deploying cops to break up hotel encampment,” by Daily News’ Chris Sommerfeldt and Michael Gartland: "A day after the NYPD cleared migrants from makeshift encampments in Midtown Manhattan, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams on Thursday criticized Mayor Adams’ handling of the situation as ‘disappointing.’ As of Thursday afternoon, about 600 migrants — many of whom set up tents after being told they’d have to vacate Midtown’s Watson Hotel — are now being housed at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in Red Hook, a site the migrants and their advocates have decried as lacking the basics.” “Are New York City Streets Getting Filthier? The Numbers Aren’t So Clear,” by THE CITY’s Katie Honan: “Mayor Eric Adams’ war on trash and rats has led him to increase funding for more litter-basket pickup and lot-cleanup programs — but his office is at odds with New York’s Strongest about how they measure whether a street is clean or dirty.” “Education Firms That Serve Hasidic Schools Are Barred Amid Fraud Inquiry,” by The New York Times’ Brian Rosenthal and Eliza Shapiro: “In emails sent over the past few weeks, the city education department instructed employees to block the hiring of the companies to provide special education or child care services. The move marks a sharp change in the city’s approach to education contracting, particularly in cases of parents of private school students with disabilities seeking city-funded services.”
| | | | JOIN POLITICO ON 2/9 TO HEAR FROM AMERICA’S GOVERNORS: In a divided Congress, more legislative and policy enforcement will shift to the states, meaning governors will take a leading role in setting the agenda for the nation. Join POLITICO on Thursday, Feb. 9 at World Wide Technology's D.C. Innovation Center for The Fifty: America's Governors, where we will examine where innovations are taking shape and new regulatory red lines, the future of reproductive health, and how climate change is being addressed across a series of one-on-one interviews. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | “Hochul proposes ‘technical’ changes to concealed carry law,” by Times Union’s Joshua Solomon: “Gov. Kathy Hochul is seeking a number of ‘technical’ revisions to New York's contested concealed carry laws, including allowing armed security guards at places of worship and providing clearer guidelines for retired law enforcement officers in good standing to possess a firearm in a ‘sensitive location.’” “NY Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Minimum Wage Plan Meets Resistance,” by Bloomberg Law’s Keshia Clukey: “The minimum wage fight will test the moderate Democrat governor’s ability to push her own priorities while working with an increasingly progressive arm of the legislature and a veto-proof Democratic supermajority in both houses. Last month, Hochul was dealt a public blow after a key Senate committee rejected her nominee to head the state’s highest court. New York lawmakers also are attempting to keep up with similar wage efforts in other progressive states.” “Charter School Expansion Faces Tough Fight in New York,” by The New York Times’ Troy Closson. “Critics slam Kathy Hochul’s ‘harsh legislation’ banning menthol cigs, flavored tobacco as ‘unjust,’” by New York Post’s Zach Williams and Carl Campanile: “Gov. Kathy Hochul is drawing heat over her pitch for a statewide ban on the sale of flavored tobacco and vape products that critics say is ‘unfair’ to people of color, impractical to enforce, and costly to state taxpayers while potentially snuffing out hookah lounges across New York. ‘It’s harsh legislation, it’s unjust,’ said Assemblyman Nader Sayegh (D-Yonkers). ‘It’s not equitable to say: ‘Stop smoking hookah but you can go smoke pot.'’ #UpstateAmerica: “The music shakes our house,” Saratoga couple wins court battle to shut a wedding venue next to their home.
| | | | A message from Compassion & Choices:   | | | | | TRUMP'S NEW YORK | | “Former Trump Executive, Already Jailed, Could Face More Fraud Charges,” by The New York Times’ Ben Protess, William K. Rashbaum and Jonah E. Bromwich: “Manhattan prosecutors this week warned that they might file new fraud charges against Allen H. Weisselberg, a longtime top executive at Donald J. Trump’s real estate business — increasing pressure on Mr. Weisselberg to cooperate in a broader investigation into the former president, according to people with knowledge of the matter.” | | FROM THE DELEGATION | | — CNN’s Manu Raju had a more awkward exchange with Rep. George Santos than we've all gotten used to, after Santos walked into his live shot on Capitol Hill. It led to about a minute — a lifetime by cable TV standards — of cringe silence as Santos refused once again to answer any questions about his scandals.
| | AROUND NEW YORK | | — Look out: The Empire State Building could go green for the Eagles again if Philly wins the Super Bowl. — New York now has its own Bean, but it’s different from Chicago’s, obviously. — High school graduation rates in 2022 rose by almost 1 percent compared to 2021. — There were 346 felony incidents in New York City schools last year. — Andrew Cuomo is luxury-boat shopping.
| | | | DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO MOBILE APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. The sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS– DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID. | | | | | | | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Josh Lipsky … Fred Hochberg … MaryAlice Parks … Lisa Boothe MAKING MOVES — Joe Borelli, the New York City Council minority leader, was selected as chair of the Community Leaders of America | Forum for Community Leaders, the national forum of local elected Republican mayors, city council members and county leaders. … Brian Buchwald is now global head of product, technology and trust data at Edelman. He most recently was chief strategy and business development officer at Talkwalker. … Darren Cohen is now senior counsel for Gov. Kathy Hochul. He most recently was deputy commissioner for policy, strategy and research for the N.Y. State Department of Labor. … Brittany Kenny has been promoted to senior public affairs manager and Andrew Mangini has been promoted to VP of public affairs at The Martin Group. FOR YOUR RADAR — The Working Families Party announced on Thursday that they will be hosting a year-long series of events, interviews, and other activities to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the party’s founding.
| | | | A message from Compassion & Choices: Stacey Gibson's beloved husband Sid was diagnosed with a rare degenerative motor neuron disease. When his treatment options ran out and he began to suffer, Sid decided to stop eating and drinking. It took twelve days for him to die. His slow, agonizing death was exactly what he feared and haunts Stacey to this day. Access to the compassionate option of medical aid in dying would ensure that no one's loved one is forced to suffer the way Sid did.
After being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Stacey is now advocating fighting for the right to peace at the end of life for herself should she need it. It’s time for our lawmakers to give terminally ill New Yorkers like Sid the choice to end their life with the peace and dignity they deserve by passing the Medical Aid in Dying Act in 2023. Learn More. | | | | | Real Estate | |
HYBRID HITS DIFFERENT — More Manhattan office workers are back at their desks on the average weekday, but employers appear to be making peace with hybrid-work arrangements long-term, per the latest return-to-office survey from the Partnership for New York City. A survey of more than 140 major Manhattan office employers in January found 52 percent of office workers were back at their workplaces on a typical weekday. Just 9 percent were back five days a week and employers projected the “new normal” for daily office occupancy would be 56 percent.
While a majority of employers expect to keep or expand their office space over the next five years, 18 percent expect to downsize — and 29 percent have already shed space since February 2020. Office vacancies rising further could bring more urgency to efforts in Albany to ease conversions of commercial properties into housing, something both the governor and mayor support. — Janaki Chadha
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