Right now, as New York City Council members, nonprofit leaders, and labor allies gather in Puerto Rico for the SOMOS conference, they are debating who will serve as the next speaker of the City Council. Yet one critical voice is missing from those conversations: the voice of the Council staff who make this institution run every day.
We are the Association of Legislative Employees (ALE), the union representing more than 400 staff members who power every corner of the Council. We are the people who pick up the phone when New Yorkers call for help, who research and draft legislation, who connect residents to city services, and who analyze the city’s $116 billion budget. Yet, despite being the workforce that makes local democracy work, we are too often left out of the rooms where decisions are made about our jobs, our safety, and our future.
The next speaker will inherit not only the responsibility of leading the Council but also the opportunity to rebuild trust and morale within it. ALE does not have a preferred candidate. Our only preference is for a speaker who will work with us to negotiate a strong contract, improve working conditions for our members, and build a stronger, fairer Council that truly values the people who keep it moving.
Our demands are clear, achievable, and urgent.
Reorganization is not an excuse for retaliation. ALE has launched the Save Our Jobs campaign to protect workers from a 60-day probationary reset beginning in January. Unionized staff in nearly every Council office will again become at will. Council members should not use this reorganization period to undermine the due process protections established in the contract or to retaliate against staff who have raised workplace concerns or are active with their union. We call on the next speaker to ensure that due process is respected and to issue clear guidance against retaliation.
- Raise Member Office Budgets
Office budgets have been frozen since 2022, even as costs for everything from office supplies to wages have climbed. Nearly one in four staff positions are vacant, forcing hiring freezes, heavier workloads, loss of institutional knowledge, and delays for constituents. Every district office deserves the resources to maintain a full, functional team. Raising budgets is not a luxury; it is essential to effective government. A Council that cannot retain or fairly compensate its staff cannot effectively serve the people of New York City.
Council staff face growing levels of harassment, verbal abuse, and threats of violence, often without consistent security measures in place. Many district offices operate without the most basic protections, leaving employees vulnerable. The Council must act now to ensure that every office is a safe workplace, particularly in the current political climate when public servants are increasingly targeted for simply doing their jobs.
While there have been improvements to working conditions under the current leadership, chronic issues remain unaddressed. There has been a lack of urgency in confronting bullying, harassment, and the abuse of staff overtime on the part of management.
The status quo is unsustainable, especially with a staff vacancy rate approaching 23%. Morale is low, burnout is widespread, and experienced staff continue to leave public service. If the Council wishes to retain talent and fulfill its mission, it must prioritize the well-being and dignity of its employees.
Over the past year and a half, ALE has worked to uphold the gains of our first contract, often in the face of slow progress and resistance. We have done this while continuing to deliver for New Yorkers every day. Our members have stayed committed to their work because they believe in the Council’s potential to be a model of fair, transparent, and ethical government. But that belief will fade if staff continue to feel ignored. The next speaker has a chance to change this trajectory.
Council members may hold the votes, but the Council cannot function without the staff who make its work possible. Whoever becomes the next speaker must recognize that there are not just 51 elected members of the City Council. There are 51 members and also the Association of Legislative Employees. Together, we represent the hundreds of staff who work evenings, weekends, and long hours to deliver services, manage constituent crises, draft policy, and advance the legislative agenda of New York City.
We deserve a seat at the table, a voice in our future, and leadership that respects the work we do every day for this city.
Malloy is ALE president. Lajszky is ALE vice president.
