Gov. Andrew Cuomo, speaking on the Capitol Pressroom radio show today, said he is “open to tweaks” of the Public Employee Federation contract, but not ones that cost the state more money. Earlier this week, the 56,000-member union voted down a tentative five-year contract with the state, prompting the Cuomo administration to send out nearly 3,500 layoff notices.
The Public Employees Federation has asked the governor to re-open negotiations, saying the union has been asked to sacrifice too much. The governor has encouraged union leaders to impress upon members the consequences of their no vote—the layoffs—and hold a re-vote.
He said on the radio show that either PEF members thought he was “bluffing” when he said the state would lay off 3,500 employees if the contract wasn’t adopted, or they are OK with losing 3,500 of their colleagues.
The governor did say that communications are “ongoing,” and the lines of communication are always open.
“The real issue here to me is just the human problem, the human cost, the human toll of 3,500 people losing their jobs,” he told host Susan Arbetter.
Cuomo said the union can’t have everything it wants. The contract does not include raises for the first three years, followed by 2 percent hikes in years four and five. They would have to contribute more to their health insurance and would get furloughs, along with other concessions.
“I don’t have five-year job security. Nobody gets, ‘You will have a job no matter what happens for five years,’” he said.
The governor said he thinks revisiting the Triborough Amendment of the Taylor Law is a “political non-starter.” The amendment ensures that the existing contract stays in effect—unchanged—until a new contract is approved.
3 Comments
this particular union has outsmarted itself by half…the governor made a fair proposal
and with any effort the union bosses could have found out he was not bluffing…
but they didn’t sell the deal to their members because they probably were surrounded
by those who wanted to reject the contract and take the leaders jobs away …poltics but
at what cost..those 3500 layoffs will cost the economy plenty..no taxes paid..no money
spent more homes foreclosed on and on and on..when will the unions learn that
pain has to be shared…they were guaranteed no layoffs for five years..most people
would die for that deal..but not the unions..and not their leaders…shame on them
Exactly what “tweaks” don’t cost more money? If you gave these people the opportunity of summers off, like the teachers, you’d see that all the work would miraculously be done in 9 months, meaning that you don’t need 25% of them to begin with.
Did you hear that loud sound. That was PEF leadership imploding. Stand your ground Gov. Cuomo, and let them know who is the boss around here.