By Andrew Polino
Buffalo, NY – State employees held rallies throughout New York Monday to protest Governor Paterson's furlough proposal. One of the protests was held outside the Ellicott Square Building.
The protest included members of state worker unions such as the Public Employees Federation and the Civil Service Employees Association. They carried signs and chanted such slogans as "No Furloughs" and "Cut the Waste, Not the Workers". The protesters say it is unfair that the government is penalizing state employees.
Michelle Marconi, a housing project manager from Amherst, and a member of the Public Employees Federation, says the government is not being held accountable for its lack of action on the financial crisis.
"It's patently unfair, given the state of the fiscal climate, when there's no reduction in management, no reduction in consultants and no reduction in the pay of the legislators that have failed to pass the budget" says Marconi. "What they really need to do is their only job, which is to pass the budget."
The union leaders at the rally say they are trying to offer alternative budget solutions to the Governor's proposal, including lag payments, and taxes on Wall Street businesses.