State budget belt getting
tighter
BySHERRYHALBROOK
Thesummerof2009hasbeen
memorableforitsbackbeatofangst.
FromWashingtontoAlbanyandPEF
members’worksites,worryandstrife
overhowtogetandholdontomoney,
jobs,powerandcontroltookno
vacation.
Septembersignalstheendof
summer,butnoreliefisinsightfrom
— Graphic by Mario A. Bruni
theheateddebatesandwarring
viewpoints.
Theenactedstatebudgetand however,werestilltryingtofindother
“Justone-quarterintothestate’s
Paterson’sfinancialplanassumeshe waystosave,insteadofgivingupany
2009-10fiscalyear,anditisalready
canget$460millioninsavingsover morepositions.
runninganother$2.1billioninthe
twoyearsfromworkforcereductions “Forourmemberswhowere
hole,”saidPEFPresidentKen
andrelatedinitiatives.Theplan alreadycontemplatingleavingstate
Brynien.“Thegovernorhassaidhe
assumesthesesavingsfroma service,theprospectofreceivingan
willintroduceyetanotherbudget
combinationofseverancepayments, additional$20,000inseverancepay
revisioninSeptembertoaddressit,so
vacancycontrols,voluntaryreduction wasveryattractive,”Bryniensaid.
wearewaitingtoseehowthatmay
inworkschedule,anewpensionTier “However,it’sprimarypurposeisnot
affectourmembers.”
5andothermeasures. tobearetirementincentive,somuch
Inannouncingthefirst-quarter
Thatplanprojectedthenumberof asawaytoavoidtheneedforlayoffs.”
shortfall,Gov.DavidPatersontriedto
stateemployeeswouldtotal128,803 Meanwhile,thesecondmajor
soundahopefulnote.
attheendofthecurrentfiscalyearon strategyPatersonhadcountedonto
“Althoughthebudgetenactedin
March31,2010.However,Paterson avoidlayoffs,hadbeenstalledby
Apriltooksubstantialactiontoclose
cautionedthatprojectionwillbe statelegislatorspreoccupiedwith
acombined$20.1billionbudgetgap,
revisedwhenheannounceshis otherbusiness.Paterson’sTier5
thefactremainsthatrevenueshave
newestbudgetrecoveryplanthis pensionproposalwasnevereven
continuedtofall,andthiswillforce
month. introducedasabillineitherhouse,
ustomakefurtherdifficultchoices,”
Asthegovernorputit,“Toachieve muchlesspassed.
Patersonsaid.“Lastyearreflecteda
theneeded...savings,morestringent BothPEFandtheCivilService
fundamentaltransformationofour
workforcemeasuresbeyondthose EmployeesAssociationagreedearlier
economicbase,butwebelievethe
outlinedabovemaybenecessary.” thisyearnottoopposeanewTier5
worstdeteriorationofoureconomy
Bryniensaid,“Wehopethe thatwouldrequirefuturestatehires
maybebehindus.”
$20,000severancepackagesoffered topermanentlycontributetotheir
Patersonblamedthegrowingdeficit
inlateAugusttosomestate pensions,aspartofanagreement
on“continuedweaknessinthe
employeesinpositionsthestatecan withPatersontoprecludelayoffsof
economy,whichhasresultedin
dowithoutforatleastayear,will theirmembersfortwoyears.However,
lower-than-projectedyear-to-datetax
havehelpedtrimstateexpensesand evenwithouttheiropposition,some
receipts.”
avoidlayoffs.Thatiswhattheywere peopledoubtTier5wouldpass.
“Sincethebeginningofthestate
meanttodo.” “We’llhaveabetterideaofhowthis
recessioninAugust2008,NewYork
Bryniensaidheheardfrommany willplayoutafterthegovernor
haslost236,000jobs.Employment
PEFmemberswhowerehopingto announceshisnewplanand,
declinesareexpectedtocontinueinto
receiveaseveranceofferandhewas presumably,calltheLegislatureinto
2010,andthestateunemployment
pleasedtoseepublishedreportsof specialsessiontoactonit,”Brynien
rateisexpectedtopeakat9.1percent
oneormorestateagenciesworkingto said.
inthefirstquarterof2010,”Paterson
castaswideanetaspossiblein
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catorSeptember2009
extendingtheoffers.Someagencies,
PEFInformationLine:1-800-553-2445
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