New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo announced 3,500 layoffs of state employees after workers represented by the Public Employees Federation rejected a contract. The contract included three years of wage freezes, increased insurance costs and furlough days. The layoffs will only apply to workers represented by PEF. The departments that will experience the most layoffs are the Transportation, Corrections, Tax and Finance, and the Offices of Mental Health and People with Developmental Disabilities. The governor asked the union to hold another vote, but the union said that their members have voted, and that they should not be penalized for the mistakes others have made.
See "Cuomo details NY layoffs after contract rejection", Dan Wiessner, Reuters, September 28, 2011