06-24-2026 Wrongful Discharge & Labor Protections Special Committee Meeting

The City of Ithaca held a special committee meeting on June 24, 2026, focused on wrongful discharge and labor protections. The meeting featured extensive public comments from union members and graduate student workers at Cornell University advocating for legislation to apply just cause employment protections to all workers, including those on fellowships who currently lack union protections. The committee also heard presentations from the Tompkins County Workers' Center supporting just cause protections and discussing the proposed establishment of a workers' rights commission to handle wrongful termination claims. Committee members debated enforcement mechanisms, including the potential for a quasi-judicial board versus private right of action, and discussed concerns about legal challenges, administrative costs, and small business exemptions. The city attorney's office was expected to provide a legal opinion on the proposed legislation at a future meeting. The committee agreed to continue stakeholder engagement and consider multiple enforcement options in drafting a policy statement to guide future legislation.