New York Gov. David Paterson said Thursday he will send layoff notices to nearly 900 state workers, including prison chaplains and motor vehicle clerks, angering unions that didn’t expect job losses before the end of the year. Public worker unions have promised they’ll sue to stop any cuts, citing a legal memo signed by Paterson under an agreement for...
View full sizeGov. David Paterson talks to reporters outside his office at the Capitol in Albany in this photo from May 12.New York Gov. David Paterson said Thursday he will send layoff notices to nearly 900 state workers, including prison chaplains and motor vehicle clerks, angering unions that didn’t expect job losses before the end of the year.
Public worker unions have promised they’ll sue to stop any cuts, citing a legal memo signed by Paterson under an agreement for a less expensive pension plan for new hires that guaranteed no layoffs before Dec. 31, the last day of Paterson’s term.
Users of syracuse.com were quick to offer their opinions on this story, most calling for more than 900 layoffs. A few users, including zatoichi, said the best place to make cuts is political appointees:
"A move in the right direction, as NYS is bloated with civil service workers. I certainly can live with any inconvenience without these workers. HOWEVER, as many have posted, NYS needs to get rid itself of all the political appointments (e.g. Driscoll) and remove/consolidate many of the inefficient and unnecessary departments, commissions, review boards, etc. That is where the waste and real costs are."
» Read the story and all the comments
» Read what else zatoichi had to say