New York Governor Congratulates Local 259 Members on Warranty Bill Win

New York Governor Kathy Hochul visited UAW Local 259 members at Empire Ford Lincoln of Huntington on Tuesday, congratulating the technicians on winning equal pay for equal work.

In September, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed Assembly Bill A4066B (Burgos)/Senate Bill 5085C (Kennedy) into law, requiring car dealer franchisors to fully compensate franchised car dealers for warranty service agreements.

Local 259 led the fight to pass this legislation to close a decades-old loophole that created a two-tier system in which mechanics fixing cars under warranty would essentially not be paid for some work.

"Vehicle manufacturers now must pay retail labor time allowances for warranty labor operations," said Local 259 President Brian Schneck. "The manufacturers have been ripping us off for decades but that ends now and forever."