Governor George Pataki today signed into law a bill designed to prevent employers that receive any state funds from discussing unions or their organizing efforts in any way.
The Business Council opposed the bill, which was conceived and promoted by labor leader Dennis Rivera and other union officials.
The Legislature passed the bill in July with broad support in both parties, despite strong objections from The Council and groups representing hospitals, nursing homes and other health-care providers, and other interests.
"While the measure is officially described as a 'neutrality' bill, in fact its enactment is being aggressively sought by the unions precisely because it would radically tilt the playing field to their advantage," Business Council President Daniel B. Walsh said in a July 1 legislative memo in opposition to the law.
The new restricts the ability of employers to use public funds to hire or pay attorneys, consultants, or other contractors that encourage or discourage union organization, or participation in union drives, or to hire or pay the salary of employees whose principal job duties are to encourage or discourage union organization or participation in drives, the Governor's press release said.
Employers that receive state funds can be required to prove that they did not spend any of the funds inappropriately, and must submit those records to any state entity and the state attorney general if asked to do so.