Senate Finance Committee advances PERB nominees after Connick details backlog reduction and rulemaking

The New York State Senate Finance Committee on June 10 advanced two nominees to the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB), moving the nominations of Timothy Connick and Barbara Diehart to the Senate floor after a round of questions about PERB’s caseload, staffing and rulemaking.

Connick, who has served as PERB chair since last June, told senators the board has cut a backlog of administrative law judge (ALJ) decisions and increased the number of board decisions issued in the past year. "I've been honored and privileged to serve as the PERB chair for the past year," Connick said. He described efforts to make the board more user-friendly and to clarify rules for new statutes.

Committee members pressed Connick on staffing, language access and PERB’s role in recent large labor actions and in dealing with the federal agencies that historically handle private‑sector disputes.

Connick told the committee that in calendar year 2023 PERB issued 83 ALJ decisions and that, as of July 30, 2024, 42 ALJ decisions had not been issued within 90 days of closing briefs. "As of May 27…