February 6, 2026 — The legal treatise, Lefkowitz on Public Sector Labor and Employment Law, stands apart as one of the most comprehensive books on New York labor and employment law. Available for purchase from the New York State Bar Association, it is a vital resource for judges, arbitrators, public employers, unions and their advocates.
PEF General Counsel John Svare, Deputy General Counsel Alison Thorne, Assistant General Counsel David Friedman, and former General Counsel Ed Greene were tapped to contribute to the well-respected publication.
“Jerome Lefkowitz was a true legend in public sector labor and employment law, and his Lefkowitz on Public Sector Labor and Employment Law treatise has long set the standard for the field,” said Svare. “PEF is proud to contribute to this work alongside the foremost minds in labor and employment law, reflecting our recognized expertise on these vital issues.”
Lefkowitz, who passed away in 2017, was a highly respected labor lawyer who helped draft the Public Employees’ Fair Employment Act (Taylor Law), enacted in 1967 following a series of public-sector strikes. The law governs labor relations for most public employees, granting them collective bargaining rights while prohibiting strikes, and defining improper practices for both employers and unions. The Taylor Law also established the New York State Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) as a neutral agency to administer the law. As Deputy Chairperson, Lefkowitz served as PERB’s first employee in 1967, and later served as Chairperson from 2007-2015.
The book, now on its fifth edition, also covers other aspects of the law of public employment in New York state, including matters related to Taylor Law negotiations such as contract enforcement and the arbitration process; Civil Service law; retirement law and federal and state statutory protections.
Svare and Greene edited and updated Chapter 16: Retirement Systems in New York State; Thorne contributed to Chapter 2(V): New York State Ethics Commission Reform Act; and Friedman worked on Chapter 9: Public Employment Relations Board: Functions, Jurisdiction, Practice and Procedure.