Negotiating under the Taylor Law in joint employment relationship

Negotiating under the Taylor Law in joint employment relationship

Negotiating under the Taylor Law in joint employment relationship

Matter of the County of Erie, 44 PERB ¶3027, U-28856

The Board affirmed, as modified, a decision of a PERB Administrative Law Judge finding that the County of Erie violated §209-a.1(d) of the Public Employees’ Fair Employment Act when it refused to execute memoranda of agreement negotiated and signed by CSEA and the Erie County Medical Center Corporation.

The Board reiterated that Public Authorities Law §§3629 and 3630 demonstrate a clear legislative intent to create a statutory joint employment relationship between the County and ECMCC, but with unique characteristics distinct from those of other joint employers designated under the Act.

The Board held that the County violated §209-a.1(d) of the Act by failing to sign the agreements because the County had previously acquiesced in ECMCC conducting separate direct negotiations with CSEA resulting in memoranda of agreement that the County signed and the County failed to inform ECMCC and CSEA that it would not execute future agreements resulting from the direct ECMCCCSEA negotiations.