Albany, NY – New York Governor David Paterson said his next emergency spending bill will furlough 100,000 state workers for one day a week to help keep the government operating in the absence of a budget.
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The furloughs, which would save about $30 million a week, come after the Democratic governor’s decision to withhold a 4 percent pay increase from about 130,000 state employees since April 1. Both measures are intended to reduce outlays while New York lawmakers debate a $9.2 billion deficit for the year that began April 1.
“I have decided I will include the furloughs in the next week’s emergency appropriations,” Paterson, 55, said at a press conference today in Albany, the capital. “Collective sacrifice is preferable to individual layoffs.”
The governor of the third-largest state by population said public employee unions brought on the furloughs by spurning other measures that would save $250 million. As long as the state lacks a budget, the unions’ contracts aren’t binding, Paterson has said. The unions have said they’ll go to court.
Leaders of the Senate and the Assembly, both Democrats, disagree on a plan to close the budget gap, leaving Paterson to propose weekly spending bills that lawmakers can’t amend or replace with their own. Neither chamber’s spending plan called for spending cuts as large as the $6.1 billion Paterson has proposed.
watch the smoke and mirrors here …any curtains?
we dont work on shabbos and therefore we dont get paid . why is this different?
Whats the bid deal. Its only one day a week and the state is broke and has no other way to raise the money to pay these people. Further, think of how much additional money we will save for each day these bureaucrats never get to the office to waste our tax dollar. Thus, we save even more.
How about the opposite work 1 day a week and take off 6 days. It will save a lot of money for the citizens of NY.
The employees have a contract with the State and he can’t legally furlough employees without their consent. He can furlough the Senate and Assembly members since they don’t have a contract.
let him start with his own staff.
and while he is at it, let him get rid of all the people working for his wife.
wasted state money.
As a state employee i disagree with most of your comments. i am not a bureacrat but a hard working parent trying to pay his bills like the rest of you. don’t believe that every one who works for the government have it easy. a one day a week furlough blows a big hole in my already stretched budget.
This is just a way to squeeze the unions to pressure the legislators to act. Since he’s declared he’s not running he’s not cornered by any union and can make logical decisions.
New York needs to break the unions. Gov’t employees are making large salaries with huge benefit packages while the rest of us suffer under increased taxes and other revenue generating schemes.
The best news yet. Something positive. How long can we survive with run a way costs, unfunded pensions, salaries, etc.?
Not all of us make 6 figure salaries. I live paycheck to paycheck just like everyone else. Why doesn’t everyone stop knocking union workers. EVERYONE can take a civil service exam but chose not to. Look at our elected officials, who make 3x what i make and can’t even put a budget together.