The Board

The responsibilities of the Board include: 

• setting policy standards for the agency;
• issuing final agency rulings on appeal from decisions and rulings by agency program sections;
• assigning appropriate penalties against unions found to have engaged in work stoppage activities;
• issuing rulings, as appropriate, regarding certification of unions seeking to represent public employees, and the proper maintenance of provisions and procedures by local governments establishing “mini-PERBs;”
• enacting Rules of Procedure by which parties and agency personnel are bound; and
• maintaining an appropriate panel of qualified labor relations neutrals to provide mediation, fact-finding and interest arbitration services on a per diem basis.

The Board fulfills its responsibilities by meeting regularly to consider cases on appeal, to issue rulings on the appeals, and to act on other matters within its jurisdiction. The Board determines its meeting dates, with the administrative details, agenda publication, recording of minutes, case calendar and dissemination of Board decisions and rulings handled by the Secretary to the Board.

Board Structure

The Board is composed of three members, all appointed by the Governor and subject to confirmation by the New York State Senate. The Governor designates one of the members to serve as Chair. Each member is appointed for a six year term, with one of the three terms expiring on May 31 every other year. The law stipulates that “not more than two members of the board shall be members of the same political party.”

The Chair of the Board is a full-time employee of New York State, while the other two members are per diem members, and may pursue other non-public employment. Each member has an equal vote on decisions of the Board and any two members may constitute a majority.

Chair of the Board

The Chair, in addition to being a member of the Board, is the chief executive officer for the agency, responsible for carrying out policies set by the Board and for overseeing the function and administration of agency program sections. To fulfill these responsibilities, the Chair meets regularly with his executive staff, composed of the Executive Director, the Deputy Chair, and each of the program directors. 

Meetings are held:

• to allow input by executive staff regarding agency activities and policy;
• to keep directors and members of their staffs informed regarding major cases and/or activities throughout the agency; and
• to advise directors of changes in agency policy or changes in state policies and how PERB operations will be affected.

Deputy Chair & Counsel

The Deputy Chair & Counsel acts as the chief legal advisor to the Board. In that capacity they are responsible for handling any and all procedural matters which arise in connection with cases pending before the Board, including requests for oral argument, extensions of time, and other motions, upon consultation with the Chair and Board members as requested. They are responsible for assuring a timely flow of cases to final disposition by the Board, and is responsible for conducting legal research and analysis, and the drafting of Board decisions for review and adoption by the Board. The Deputy Chair & Counsel also advises the Chair and the Board concerning Board policies and possible amendments to the Board’s Rules of Procedure.

Timothy Connick, Chair

Timothy Connick was appointed to serve as PERB Board Member and Chairman in June 2024. He has been an attorney for more than 40 years, devoting his practice almost exclusively to labor law and employment litigation. From 2011 to 2023, Mr. Connick represented the New York State United Teachers, AFT, AFL-CIO, and was its Senior Counsel in Western New York and on behalf of the Buffalo Teachers Federation. From 1992 to 2011, he represented the Civil Service Employees Association, Inc., AFSCME, Local 1000, AFL-CIO, holding the position of Deputy Counsel and director of statewide litigation from 2001 to 2011. From 1988 to 1992, Mr. Connick worked for the Counsel’s Office, New York State Department of Labor, where he specialized in worker protection and child labor enforcement. From 1981 to 1988, he was in private practice specializing in civil litigation. Mr. Connick is a graduate of Albany Law School and the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations.

Anthony Zumbolo, Member

Anthony Zumbolo was appointed to serve as a PERB Board Member in June 2018. He spent nearly 35 years at PERB, retiring as the agency’s Executive Director in 2016. From 2002 to 2017, he served as a part-time Public Service Professor in the Department of Public Administration and Policy at the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy. Prior to joining PERB, he was a business representative for a local union. Mr. Zumbolo is permanently certified as a secondary school social studies teacher and has degrees in economics from the University at Buffalo (BA) and University at Albany (MA). He completed his Doctorate in Organizational Behavior and Public Management at Rockefeller College. His dissertation examining decision-making in negotiations and mediation won the national Labor and Employment Relations Association’s Best Dissertation Award.

Rosemary A. Townley, Member

Rosemary A. Townley was appointed to serve as a PERB Board Member in June 2018. Ms. Townley has been a full-time, independent arbitrator and mediator for over 30 years based in the Metropolitan New York City region. She is a member of AAA's Commercial, Employment, Executive Contracts, Complex Case, and Labor Panels, and handles international cases assigned by ICDR. Ms. Townley’s experience includes the disposition of over 4,500 arbitration cases and 500 mediation matters, ranging from the resolution of disputes concerning international investment banking to collective bargaining issues between the NFL and the NFL Players Association. She serves as a permanent contract arbitrator in the fields of transportation, education, energy (electric, oil, gas, and nuclear power), home health care, entertainment, news, and others.

Information Pursuant to Executive Law § 203-b

The next PERB Board meeting is scheduled for August 15, 2024. 

Find past Board meeting agendas and minutes

Board decisions 1974 to present

Private sector decisions prior to 2010 issued by PERB’s predecessor Board, The New York State Labor Relations Board, are available through HathiTrust. Find decisions from 1937 to 2010. Private sector decisions issued by PERB since 2010 are available at the link above.