Special Commission on the Future of the New York State Courts

projections but referred to them as “conservative.” 175 In the face
of this detailed analysis and support, it cannot be suggested that
court restructuring will have anything other than a significant,
positive financial impact on the state’s economy and its citizens.
The Effect of Restructuring on Nonjudicial
Employees
There are approximately 15,000 nonjudicial personnel
employed by the Unified Court System. 176 These comprise a
broad spectrum of employees required to maintain the smooth
operation of our courts. The courts employ security officers,
clerks, law secretaries and court reporters, in addition to custodial
and maintenance staffs. Some have expressed the concern that a
restructuring of the courts could result in the elimination of jobs
for nonjudicial employees as the courts are streamlined and made
more efficient. We do not see this as a valid concern.
First, the overall caseload of the courts would remain the
same under a restructured system. While these cases would be
handled more efficiently and quickly, the need for skilled
personnel to operate the courts should not be diminished.
Second, to the extent there is any question about the effect
of restructuring on the labor unions for nonjudicial personnel,
this, too, should not be a concern. The array of labor unions
servicing the court system is complex. There are twelve such
unions, which are referred to as “statutory bargaining units” since
their existence is codified by statute. We do not believe that any
changes to the structure of these unions would be required under
a restructured court system. Without detailing here the long
history of labor relations for nonjudicial employees, we observe
that nearly all of the changes that one would expect to result from
175
See Appendix iv.
176
TWENTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL REPORT, supra note 130, at 1.
A Court System for the Future, February 2007 97