Taylor Law - History

History

• The law was put into effect in 1967, following costly transit strikes the previous year.
• Since its declaration, the law has been cited in averting several potential transit strikes. The fine was applied during the New York City Transit Authority 1980 transit strike and was applied again in the 2005 transit strike (involving both the Transit Authority and a separate unit of the MTA, MTA Bus Company (for the latter, only workers who were members of Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 100).
  • During the 2005 transit strike, both the strikers and the MTA violated portions of the Taylor Law. Section 210 states that the workers are not allowed to strike; Section 201 Part 4 states that employers are not allowed to negotiate benefits provided by a public retirement fund or payment to a fund or insurer to provide an income for retirees.
  • In addition, in the wake of the 2005 strike, the New York State Supreme Court in Kings County (Brooklyn), declared TWU Local 100 in violation of the Taylor Law, and issued a fine of $1,000,000 per day, pursuant with the guidelines set forth in the law. Two smaller unions also representing NYC Transit Authority workers, Amalgamated Transit Union Locals 726 and 1056, were fined smaller amounts.
• The Taylor Law is named for George W. Taylor, chairman of the commission appointed by Nelson Rockefeller to propose amendments to the Condon-Wadlin Law. Taylor was a professor of industrial research at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton school for forty years before his death in 1972. He served as an advisor on labor relations issues to Presidents Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson. Taylor was a strong supporter of the strike in private sector bargaining.