By Eileen Buckley
Albany, NY – Governor David Paterson is calling on New York public employee unions to forgo their 4% pay raises.
Paterson says as the state faces an extraordinary fiscal and economic crisis, it requires shared sacrifice from every individual and organization that relies upon State funding.
"That is why I am calling on the leaders of New York's public employee unions to agree to forgo the 4 percent raises scheduled to go into effect today for their membership. This across-the-board salary increase, which is on top of a 9 percent raise provided over the last three years, is simply not affordable to taxpayers at a time when the State is facing an over $9 billion deficit," said Governor Paterson.
But Western New York State Senator Bill Stachowski, who was back in Buffalo for Easter recess, says nothing has been finalized with union workers.
The Governor has asked for certain things from the unions, but to the best of my knowledge, he hasn't sat down and met with any of them yet," said Stachowski.
The Legislature and Governor David Paterson are more than $1 billion apart in their proposals to reach a new budget agreement.
Meanwhile, State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli says the state managed to end the fiscal year with money in the bank. But only because of last minute payment delays and budget manipulations.
DiNapoli says those actions may cause a serious cash shortfall in the first quarter of the new fiscal year. "New York's fiscal problems persist. This must be a transformative year for New York. We need the Governor and the Legislature to agree on a budget that holds together and doesn't come unglued. The last thing New Yorkers need is a replay of last year's buy-time budget," said Di Napoli.