Posted on 03/25/2009 6:01:16 PM PDT by neverdem
ALBANY, N.Y., March 25 (UPI) -- New York state's $16 billion budget shortfall may force 9,000 layoffs in the wake of failed negotiations with union workers, the governor said.
New York Gov. David Paterson said Tuesday that layoffs would begin in July but the announcement may have been a signal to the unions that it was time to respond to the state's call for negotiations, The New York Times (NYSE:NYT) reported Wednesday.
In concessions that apply to all state employees, except those working for the university system, the governor has asked workers to skip raises for a year and defer a week's pay until a later date -- when they retire or when the fiscal crisis ends. He has also called for increased contributions to insurance benefits for future retirees, the Times said.
"Throughout the year, the governor was asking for labor concessions, saying he did not want to do wholesale layoffs," said state Budget Director Laura Anglin.
President of the Public Employees Federation Ken Brynien said public employees had offered counterproposals.
Most of those proposals, however, didn't include concessions, the Times said. One was to hire more workers to reduce overtime and a second proposal involved raising taxes, the Times said.
I thought Obambi was saving these government union jobs!
Can the mayor of NYC be the first?
So I guess now, we won’t see 5 guys standing around watching 1 guy work.
It’ll be 4 guys watching 1 guy operate the shovel.
Not even a drop in the bucket.
Doesn't the governor see that the unions are negotiation challenged?
How ‘bout those unions, huh?
This should give the democRat a boost in the race there.
I guess we will have to wash our own windshields now at the traffic lights.
That’ll just about do it if each of those employees makes $1.78 million a year.
/snark
Sounds like a good start. Hope this catches on in the other states. Now if the Fed. Gov. would do the same. I know, but I can dream, can’t I?
I don’t understand why employees “in the university system” are somehow exempt from this purge.
That has to be one area that has just a particularly huge amount of waste.
How will the sun shine?
How will the flowers bloom?
Children will not laugh.
Beer will be tasteless.
The end is near!
ML/NJ
:)
Because socialist indoctrination must continue at all costs!
“Doesn’t the governor see that the unions are negotiation challenged?”
Yep - that word “negotiate” isn’t in the union’s dictionary.
Paterson must not be planning to run again .. bad enough to offend the Kennedys, but the NY public employees ? ha!
Here is how I would do it.
1) All accrued sick time is gone. You get 5 sick days. Use them or lose them.
2) All accrued vacation is gone. You get 3 weeks vacation. Use it or lose it.
3) The last year you work, your pension is based on straight time.
Start there. Anyone who doesn’t like it is invited to go find work elsewhere.
“That has to be one area that has just a particularly huge amount of waste.”
I agree and recommend that you read “The Fall of The Ivory Tower” by George Roche, former president of Hillsdale College.
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