Local 445 public employees face a real threat from statewide Republican/Tea Party efforts to repeal a key law that protects us during negotiations. Called “The Triborough Amendment,” it mandates that our existing public employee contracts stay in effect if they expire before negotiations are completed. The effort to overturn this protection, led by Assemblyman Robert Castelli of Westchester County, would give state and municipal employers the right to allow union contracts to become null and void in the absence of a new deal. His proposal is strongly backed by the powerful Association of Counties. The Triborough Amendment was passed by the legislature in l982 after a strike by Triborough Bridge Authority employees. It was designed to discourage further work stoppages. Public employees do not have the right to strike, and can be heavily fined if they do so. In the private sector, if a contract expires while still under negotiation, most employers sign extension agreements out of fear the employees will strike if the contract is declared null and void. Public employees do not have that option, but the Triborough Amendment guarantees their contracts will not be thrown out by their employers upon expiration. “We must do all we can to defeat this measure,” said Local 445 Secretary-Treasurer/Principal Officer Adrian Huff.