Senate Bill S6688A

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S6688A

SPONSOR: RAMOS
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the labor law, in relation to limiting the number of
consecutive hours worked by certain employees of cities of one million
or more

 
PURPOSE:

The proposed legislation would add a new section of the labor law to
prohibit any political subdivision of the State of New York from requir-
ing an employee to work more than seventeen hours in any given work day
except as provided in an applicable collective bargaining agreement.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Adds a new section 168-a to the labor law to prohibit political subdivi-
sions of the State of New York from requiring any employee to work more
than seventeen hours in any given work day except as provided in an
              

applicable collective bargaining agreement.

 
EXISTING LAW:

Currently, existing law allows certain municipalities to force workers
to work in excess of 17 hours a day. This is particularly true in the
case of the New York City Department of Corrections which has forced
Correction Officers to work triple shifts. This practice is permitted
under the NYC Administrative Code in emergency situations but has not
been negotiated in contract and the practice is occurring regardless of
declarations of emergency.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

This bill is needed due to the fact that the NYC Department of
Corrections has been assigning employees to work triple shifts without
regard to the health and safety of its employees. The legislation amends
the labor law and is intended to supersede any local laws allowing the
practice. No municipal employee should be mandated to work a triple
shift. In circumstances wherein a triple shift may be to the benefit of
both the employer and the employee, or in the case of a true emergency,
sufficient safeguards must be contractually negotiated.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

This is a new bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This bill shall take effect immediately.