NY Legislature votes to furlough state workers
The New York State Legislature voted on an emergency spending bill on Monday. The bill included one-day a week furloughs for 100,000 state workers, which would save around $30 million dollars a week starting on May 17. The furloughs will cost workers about $267 a week. Most Democrats who voted for the bill opposed the furloughs, but said that there was no way to separate the furloughs from the rest of the bill. Not passing the bill would have shut down the state government and stop unemployment checks and payments to those in nursing homes. the CSEA and the New York State Public Employees Federation have both announced that they are seeking restraining orders, preventing the furloughs from taking effect. Many state legislators said that they expected the court to grant the restraining orders. Governor Patterson said that the unions need to "share in the sacrifice", something unions say they have already done, in paying the same taxes as all other New Yorkers. The New York State AFL-CIO has begun targeting Democratic senators that they say betrayed workers. Many legislators depend on the unions to help them get elected.
See "NY Legislature votes to furlough state workers", Michael Gormley, Business Week, May 10, 2010