THE ASSEMBLY STATE OF NEW YORK ALBANY

KEITH L. T. WRIGHT Assemblyman 70TH District New York County REPLY TO: Harlem State Office Building 163 West 125th Street, Suite 911 New York, New York 10027 (212) 866-5809 FAX (212) 864-1368 Room 522 Legislative Office Building Albany, New York 12248 (518) 455-4793 FAX (518) 455-3890

CHAIRMAN Labor CHAIRMAN Subcommittee on Public Housing CHAIRMAN Subcommittee on Equal Economic Opportunity and Human Rights MEMBER Black, Puerto Rican and Hispanic Legislative Caucus MTA Capital Program Review Board Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force Task Force on Criminal Justice Reform High Speed Rail Task Force COMMITTEES Ways and Means Codes Correction Housing

For Immediate Release July 2, 2012 Statement from NYS Assembly Labor Committee Chair Keith Wright on Con Edison Lockout of 8500 Utility Workers I am troubled that rather than continue negotiations with Local 1-2 of the Utility Workers Union, Con Edison decided to lockout 8500 of its workers. This decision is not just a matter of labor relations; it is an issue of public safety. The locked out workers will clearly be impacted, but the potential impact on the millions of customers that rely on Con Edison services cannot be overlooked. In addition, as Chair of the Labor Committee which has legislative jurisdiction over the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund, I am troubled by the added drain of $3.5 million per week on the already stressed fund by the workers now eligible to file claims. I urge Con Edison to get back to the table and meet its workers in good faith collective bargaining to settle this contract. I will also be exploring the possibility of public hearings to determine how this epic failure in labor relations occurred. ### Contact: Ben Rosen 518-455-4793- Office 518-635-0794- Cell rosenb@nysa.us rosen.benjamin@gmail.com