Friday, February 29, 2008

City Council Update

On Wednesday, February 20th, Ethan Finneran and I, together with our two UFT organizers, met with two City Council staff members. This meeting arose as a result of the UFT's relationship with the City Council. Although the Council has its own agenda, it was clear that they are interested in the concerns of the ALJs.

The most significant point is that the UFT has enabled us to obtain a line of communication and influence in the legislative process. The Council staff was receptive to our concerns about any possible transfer of ECB to OATH.

We also learned that there is no bill drafted yet by the Council staff, and no bill has been presented for introduction to the Council. We were assured that we would be notified and consulted about any legislation that does get drafted.

It was also clear that the two Council staff members wanted as much detail as possible from us about the workings of ECB. Ethan and I presented, apparently for the first time, a more complete picture of ECB and an appreciation of the complexities involved in its operation.

-- Scott Kegelman

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