Governor proposes state employee layoffs
With few options left to close the state's budget hole, Governor Paterson is looking to lay off thousands of state workers. But as Erin Billups tells us, the plan wouldn't take effect until after he leaves office.
To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.
Then come back here and refresh the page.
ALBANY, N.Y. -- The courts said no to Governor Paterson's plan to furlough workers and withhold pay raises. Now Paterson plans to lay off 10,000 workers to help close the state's $9.2 billion budget gap.
"We didn't want to layoff anyone. This is a last resort," the governor said.
The plan would go into effect January 1; to give agencies time to find positions to be cut says Paterson. But it's also the date his no-layoff pledge to unions expires. That means that the very first day on the job, the next governor will have to decide whether to go through with Paterson's move.
"It takes a long period of time to schedule, so I want this ready to go on January 1st so that the next governor has this option should the next governor choose to use it," said Paterson.
State employee union leaders say the governor's plan is not to save the state money but to punish state workers.
"It's extremely counterproductive. All he is doing is making people crazy with his threats of things that may or may not happen down the road, "said the CSEA's Stephen Madarasz.
Meanwhile state workers themselves say they understand the state is in a cash crunch but believe there's more that can be done before having to lay off workers."
"There are lots of other places they can take the waste out of like all the extra paper work that doesn't need to be there. They need to look within the units themselves instead of laying off people," said state employee Toni Natale.
Last week the legislature passed an early retirement option that several state workers say they would be willing to take advantage of if their agency heads would let them.
"Rather than beating up the workforce he should start beating up his own managers." PEF President Ken Brynien
The governor will wait to see how many workers sign on to the retirement plan before going ahead with the layoffs.