New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is expected to seek a one year pay freeze for state workers on Wednesday during his sate of the state address. Cuomo promised to seek financial concessions from the state's unions during his campaign, and officials say he intends to keep those promises. The pay freeze would save somewhere between $200 and $400 million, out of a deficit of $9 billion. The pay freeze would not be subject to legislative approval, though Cuomo does have to negotiate with the unions, many of whose contracts are up for renegotiation on March 31. The speech will come after the sate laid off 900 workers on New Year's Eve.
See "Cuomo Plans One-Year Freeze on State Workers' Pay", Nicholas Confessore, The New York Times, January 2, 2011