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.
The coalition warned against using the provision as a pretext for retaliation, including targeting staff who engaged in union activity, filed grievances or EEO complaints, or raised concerns about workplace conditions. According to ALE, about a dozen union members have already contacted the organization expressing concerns that they could be terminated during the reorganization period because of their union involvement or office conditions.
‘reorganization period.’
Matt Malloy, president of ALE and chief of staff for Brooklyn Council Member Shahana Hanif, said the reorganization period was not meant to justify retaliation.
“Council staff provide essential services every day, connecting New Yorkers to benefits, helping constituents navigate City agencies, and keeping the City Council functioning,” Malloy said. “ALE’s historic contract was hard-won, and we will defend it.”
Malloy told Brooklyn Paper that since the union contract took effect, no City Council staffer has been fired or disciplined.
“Whereas before that, there was kind of a lot of ad hoc, off-the-cuff firings and discipline without any sort of real process. So since we’ve set a process and some guardrails, that has really stopped,” Malloy noted.
The alliance also released a public letter to the City Council, signed by advocacy organizations, major unions — including UAW Region 9A, Teamsters Local 804 and the NYC Central Labor Council — and elected officials. Signatories include Comptroller Brad Lander; council members Alexa Avilés, Tiffany Cabán, Shahana Hanif, Sandy Nurse, Christopher Marte, Shekar Krishnan and Chi Ossé, all members of the Council’s Progressive Caucus; state Sen. Kristen Gonzalez; and Assembly members Emily Gallagher and Claire Valdez.
The letter urges council members to “honor” the union contract’s due process protections and “to not use the 60 day reorganization period as an excuse to undermine the due process protections that were established in the contract, or to retaliate against staff who have raised workplace concerns or are active with their union.”
Hanif, who previously served as Lander’s director of organizing and community engagement during his City Council tenure, said she has seen firsthand how essential council staff are to the functioning of government.
“Reorganization can never be used as an excuse for retaliation or instability. Council staff deserve dignity, due process, and respect for the contract they fought to win,” Hanif said.
Council members Christopher Marte (D-Manhattan) and Tiffany Cabán (D-Queens) also called on their colleagues to respect the contract, as union leaders emphasized the importance of complying with labor agreements and due process protections.
“Council staff do the hard work of defending and maintaining our democracy every day,” Cabán said. “They serve our constituents with care and professionalism, executing our mission of service and progress across the city. They deserve job security. Council staff must have Just Cause protections — it’s a matter of living our values. As I work to pass the Secure Jobs Act and provide Just Cause protections to every New Yorker, I will continue to fight for that right for Council staff.”
“The people who keep our legislative process running deserve stability, dignity, and respect on the job,” Marte said. “Council staff work long hours serving New Yorkers, and efforts to protect their livelihoods and workplace rights are essential to a functioning, accountable government. I stand with the workers calling to save our jobs and ensure that those who serve the public are treated fairly.”
Brandon Mancilla, director of UAW Region 9A, which represents 50,000 active and retired union members across eastern New York, New England and Puerto Rico, called on the City Council to honor “New York City’s union values.”
“Council staff fought hard to win their first contract,” Mancilla said. “Like all union workers, ALE is simply asking for guarantees against retaliation, due process, and respect for the contract during the reorganization period.”
Vinnie Perrone, president of Teamsters Local 804, echoed that sentiment.
“The reorganization period was never intended to intimidate or retaliate against workers for exercising their rights,” Perrone said.
