You can decide for yourself why you think David Paterson did this (for true love of unions or a brazenly political move…or both) but it is still a good thing:

Gov. David A. Paterson has issued an order making it easier for labor unions to organize thousands of workers at some of New York’s largest new hotel and convention center projects, including hotels in Niagara Falls and at the Belmont Park racetrack in Nassau County and the expansion of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan.

The directive, which was signed on April 24 and issued on Friday, will require the operators of projects that receive assistance like loans, tax breaks or property leases from state agencies or public authorities to obtain “labor peace” agreements with unions seeking to organize their workers.

Under the agreements, workers would pledge not to strike, boycott or engage in other actions that would disrupt business or deprive the state of revenues.

The directive will give unions unprecedented leverage to demand right-to-organize provisions — including “card-check” rights that allow a union to be recognized as soon as a majority of workers sign authorization cards — for the roughly 2,000 workers expected to be hired at various facilities around the state once they are completed.

   It covers relatively-speaking a small amount of work. But, I’d be worried about this "little" loophole, though:

State agencies and authorities could exempt projects from the requirement if they could show that it would substantially increase the cost to the state or prevent the project from moving forward.

   Still, this could be an interesting precedent, particularly if the Employee Free Choice Act either fails or emerges a shell of its original self from the legislative meat-grinder.