City Council staff union and allies urge members to honor contract during reorganization * Brooklyn Paper

"As the New York City Council heads into a new term beginning Jan. 1, 2026, the Association of Legislative Employees (ALE), which represents nearly 500 council aides, finance analysts and senior financial analysts, is urging council members to publicly commit to not laying off or terminating staff during the upcoming reorganization period and to fully honor due process and Just Cause protections."

"After years of organizing, ALE gained union status in 2021, becoming the nation's largest union of legislative staffers. The union ratified its first contract in April 2024, securing a significant pay raise - raising the minimum salary from $30,000 to $55,000 - along with annual raises, overtime rules and an end to at-will employment, which had allowed employees to be terminated without cause. The contract implemented Just Cause protections, requiring employers to provide a legitimate reason for discipline or termination."

"The bargaining agreement also includes a provision sought by the City Council. At the start of a new term, council members serving successive terms are granted a 60-day "reorganization period" to restructure their offices. Council leaders have argued that members taking on new committee chair assignments, for example, may require different staff skill sets. During that period, due process protections do not apply, and staff in member offices revert to at-will status."

"At a rally on the steps of City Hall on Dec. 18, City Council staffers represented by ALE, along with elected officials and a coalition of labor unions and community organizations, stressed that the provision was intended solely for limited administrative restructuring at the start of a new term - not as a loophole for punitive actions or mass layoffs."

Nearly 500 New York City Council staffers represented by ALE demand that members commit to no layoffs during the Jan. 1, 2026 reorganization period and to uphold due process and Just Cause protections. ALE won union status in 2021 and ratified its first contract in April 2024, boosting the minimum salary from $30,000 to $55,000, adding annual raises, overtime rules, and ending at-will employment. The agreement grants a 60-day reorganization window at the start of successive terms when due process does not apply and staff revert to at-will status. Coalition members warned the window must be limited to administrative restructuring and not used for retaliation or mass layoffs.

Read at Brooklyn Paper