New York Governor David Paterson said yesterday that the state will eliminate 9,000 public employees as a result of union refusal to concessions. Since the layoffs wouldn't begin until July, it is possible that the threat of such action will prompt unions to reconsider their stance. The layoffs would affect roughly 6.4% of the public workforce, and save an estimated $481 million over two years as the state tackles a now $16 billion budget shortfall. Paterson has been seeking concessions to avoid layoffs, including eliminating previously agreed upon raises, deferring some wages, and offering new-hires fewer benefits.
See "With No Union Concessions, State Plans to Cut 9,000 Jobs", Danny Hakim and Nicholas Confessore, The New York Times, March 24, 2009