S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
3270
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
I N A S S E M B L Y
January 27, 2017
___________
Introduced by M. of A. CUSICK, FARRELL, WEPRIN, TITONE -- Multi-Spon-
sored by -- M. of A. MALLIOTAKIS -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions
AN ACT to amend the waterfront commission act, in relation to empowering
the waterfront commission to accept applications in the longshoremen's
register
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Section 5-p of chapter 882 of the laws of 1953, constitut-
ing the waterfront commission act, as amended by chapter 431 of the laws
of 1999, is amended to read as follows:
§ 5-p. [Suspension or acceptance of applications for inclusion in
longshoremen's] LONGSHOREMEN'S register[; exceptions]. [1.] The commis-
sion shall [suspend the acceptance of] ACCEPT applications for inclusion
in the longshoremen's register [for a period of sixty days after the
effective date of this act. Upon the termination of such sixty day peri-
od the commission shall thereafter have the power to make determinations
to suspend the acceptance of application for inclusion in the
longshoremen's register for such periods of time as the commission may
from time to time establish and, after any such period of suspension,
the commission shall have the power to make determinations to accept
applications for such period of time as the commission may establish or
in such number as the commission may determine, or both. Such determi-
nations to suspend or accept applications shall be made by the commis-
sion]: (a) [on its own initiative or (b)] upon the joint recommendation
in writing of stevedores and other employers of longshoremen in the port
of New York district, acting through their representative for the
[purpose] PURPOSES of collective bargaining with a labor organization
representing such longshoremen in such district, and such labor organ-
ization; or [(c)] (B) upon the petition in writing of a stevedore or
[another] OTHER employer of longshoremen in the port of New York
district which does not have a representative for the [purpose] PURPOSES
of collective bargaining with a labor organization representing such
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07965-01-7
A. 3270 2
longshoremen. [The commission shall have the power to accept or reject
such joint recommendation or petition.
All joint recommendations or petitions filed for the acceptance of
applications with the commission for inclusion in the longshoremen's
register shall include:
(a) the number of employees requested;
(b) the category or categories of employees requested;
(c) a detailed statement setting forth the reasons for said joint
recommendation or petition;
(d) in cases where a joint recommendation is made under this section,
the collective bargaining representative of stevedores and other employ-
ers of longshoremen in the port of New York district and the labor
organization representing such longshoremen shall provide the allocation
of the number of persons to be sponsored by each employer of longshore-
men in the port of New York district; and
(e) any other information requested by the commission.
2. In administering the provisions of this section, the commission
shall observe the following standards:
(a) To encourage as far as practicable the regularization of the
employment of longshoremen;
(b) To bring the number of eligible longshoremen into balance with the
demand for longshoremen's services within the port of New York district
without reducing the number of eligible longshoremen below that neces-
sary to meet the requirements of longshoremen in the port of New York
district;
(c) To encourage the mobility and full utilization of the existing
work force of longshoremen;
(d) To protect the job security of the existing work force of long-
shoremen by considering the wages and employment benefits of prospective
registrants;
(e) To eliminate oppressive and evil hiring practices injurious to
waterfront labor and waterborne commerce in the port of New York
district, including, but not limited to, those oppressive and evil
hiring practices that may result from either a surplus or shortage of
waterfront labor;
(f) To consider the effect of technological change and automation and
such other economic data and facts as are relevant to a proper determi-
nation;
(g) To protect the public interest of the port of New York district.
In observing the foregoing standards and before determining to suspend
or accept applications for inclusion in the longshoremen's register,
the commission shall consult with and consider the views of, including
any statistical data or other factual information concerning the size of
the longshoremen's register submitted by, carriers of freight by water,
stevedores, waterfront terminal owners and operators, any labor organ-
ization representing employees registered by the commission, and any
other person whose interests may be affected by the size of the
longshoremen's register.
Any joint recommendation or petition granted hereunder shall be
subject to such terms and conditions as the commission may prescribe.
3. Any determination by the commission pursuant to this section to
suspend or accept applications for inclusion in the longshoremen's
register shall be made upon a record, shall not become effective until
five days after notice thereof to the collective bargaining represen-
tative of stevedores and other employers of longshoremen in the port of
New York district and to the labor organization representing such long-
A. 3270 3
shoremen and/or the petitioning stevedore or other employer of long-
shoremen in the port of New York district and shall be subject to judi-
cial review for being arbitrary, capricious, and an abuse of discretion
in a proceeding jointly instituted by such representative and such labor
organization and/or by the petitioning stevedore or other employer of
longshoremen in the port of New York district. Such judicial review
proceeding may be instituted in either state in the manner provided by
the law of such state for review of the final decision or action of
administrative agencies of such state, provided, however, that such
proceeding shall be decided directly by the appellate division as the
court of first instance (to which the proceeding shall be transferred by
order of transfer by the supreme court in the state of New York or in
the state of New Jersey by notice of appeal from the commission's
determination) and provided further that notwithstanding any other
provision of law in either state no court shall have power to stay the
commission's determination prior to final judicial decision for more
than fifteen days. In the event that the court enters a final order
setting aside the determination by the commission to accept applications
for inclusion in the longshoremen's register, the registration of any
longshoremen included in the longshoremen's register as a result of such
determination by the commission shall be cancelled.
This section shall apply, notwithstanding any other provision of this
act, provided however, such section shall not in any way limit or
restrict the provisions of section five of article nine of this act
empowering the commission to register longshoremen on a temporary basis
to meet special or emergency needs or the provisions of section four of
article nine of this act relating to the immediate reinstatement of
persons removed from the longshoremen's register pursuant to article
nine of this act. Nothing in this section shall be construed to modify,
limit or restrict in any way any of the rights protected by article
fifteen of this act.
4. Upon the granting of any joint recommendation or petition under
this section for the acceptance of applications for inclusion in the
longshoremen's register, the commission shall accept applications upon
written sponsorship from the prospective employer of longshoremen. The
sponsoring employer shall furnish the commission with the name, address
and such other identifying or category information as the commission may
prescribe for any person so sponsored. The sponsoring employer shall
certify that the selection of the persons so sponsored was made in a
fair and non-discriminatory basis in accordance with the requirements of
the laws of the United States and the states of New York and New Jersey
dealing with equal employment opportunities.
Notwithstanding any of the foregoing, where the commission determines
to accept applications for inclusion in the longshoremen's register on
its own initiative, such acceptance shall be accomplished in such manner
deemed appropriate by the commission.
5. Notwithstanding any other provision of this act, the commission may
include in the longshoremen's register under such terms and conditions
as the commission may prescribe:
(a) a person issued registration on a temporary basis to meet special
or emergency needs who is still so registered by the commission;
(b) a person defined as a longshoreman in subdivision six of section
five-a of this act who is employed by a stevedore defined in paragraph
(b) or (c) of subdivision one of said section five-a and whose employ-
ment is not subject to the guaranteed annual income provisions of any
collective bargaining agreement relating to longshoremen;
A. 3270 4
(c) no more than twenty persons issued registration limited to acting
as scalemen pursuant to the provisions of chapter 953 of the laws of
1969 and chapter 64 of the laws of 1982 who are still so registered by
the commission and who are no longer employed as scalemen on the effec-
tive date of this subdivision;
(d) a person issued registration on a temporary basis as a checker to
meet special or emergency needs who applied for such registration prior
to January 15, 1986 and who is still so registered by the commission;
(e) a person issued registration on a temporary basis as a checker to
meet special or emergency needs in accordance with a waterfront commis-
sion resolution of September 4, 1996 and who is still so registered by
the commission;
(f) a person issued registration on a temporary basis as a container
equipment operator to meet special or emergency needs in accordance with
a waterfront commission resolution of September 4, 1996 and who is still
so registered by the commission; and
(g) a person issued registration on a temporary basis as a longshore-
man to meet special or emergency needs in accordance with a waterfront
commission resolution of September 4, 1996 and who is still so regis-
tered by the commission.
6. The commission may include in the longshoremen's register, under
such terms and conditions as the commission may prescribe, persons
issued registration on a temporary basis as a longshoreman or a checker
to meet special or emergency needs and who are still so registered by
the commission upon the enactment of this amendment.]
STEVEDORES AND OTHER EMPLOYERS OF LONGSHOREMEN IN THE PORT OF NEW YORK
DISTRICT SHALL FURNISH THE COMMISSION WITH THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES OF
THE PERSONS SELECTED FOR INCLUSION IN THE LONGSHOREMEN REGISTER.
§ 2. If any part or provision of this act or the application thereof
to any person or circumstances be adjudged invalid by any court of
competent jurisdiction, such judgment shall be confined in its operation
to the part, provision or application directly involved in the contro-
versy in which such judgment shall have been rendered and shall not
affect or impair the validity of the remainder of this act or the appli-
cation thereof to other persons or circumstances and the two states
hereby declare that they would have entered into this act or the remain-
der thereof had the invalidity of such provisions or application thereof
been apparent.
§ 3. This act constitutes an agreement between the states of New York
and New Jersey, supplementary to the waterfront commission compact and
amendatory thereof, and shall be liberally construed to effectuate the
purposes of that compact and the powers vested in the waterfront commis-
sion hereby shall be construed to be in aid of and supplemental to and
not in limitation of or in derogation of any of the powers heretofore
conferred upon or delegated to the waterfront commission.
§ 4. This act shall take effect upon the enactment into law by the
state of New Jersey of legislation having an identical effect with this
act, but if the state of New Jersey shall have already enacted such
legislation, this act shall take effect immediately; and provided that
the waterfront commission shall notify the legislative bill drafting
commission upon the occurrence of the enactment of the legislation
provided for in section one of this act in order that the commission may
maintain an accurate and timely effective data base of the official text
of laws of the state of New York in furtherance of effectuating the
provisions of section 44 of the legislative law and section 70-b of the
public officers law.