Cuomo to defer pay hikes again
CSEA: Raises for 80,000 state workers, originally due in March, to be delayed to January at least
Pay raises for an estimated 80,000 state government employees are being deferred 90 days a third consecutive time, through at least Jan. 1, according to the Civil Ser vice Employees Association.
The first deferral was announced at the end of March by Gov. Andrew M.
Cuomo’s administration as the coronavirus pandemic was peaking in New York and the state began spending tens of millions of dollars on medical supplies and equipment — much of which remains in warehouses.
But the continued delay in pay raises has rankled many workers, including those on the front lines of the pandemic response, who have not been granted raises while high-ranking state officials, including Cuomo, have received pay increases.
“While we understand the state is trying to prevent furloughs or layoffs, and we don’t want to see any state workers put out of work, the state has a legal obligation to comply with the terms of our contract and honor the commitment they made
to our hard-working state employees who have helped get us through this time of crisis,” CSEA said in a statement posted on its Facebook page.
In a message to its members in June, after raises were deferred a second time for 90 days through Oct. 1, CSEA had issued a more measured statement.
“The governor has said he is taking this measure in order to avoid the immediate need for layoffs or furloughs,” CSEA wrote at that time. “CSEA continues to support full retroactive payment of the wage increase for all state workers, but we also recognize the dire financial position the state is in and have no desire to see members laid off or furloughed. ... We will do all in our power to make sure you get your increases.”
The union is also pursuing a grievance filed earlier this year challenging the deferrals.
In its own statement in response to the move — which has not been publicly announced by the governor’s office — the state Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association blasted it as “a slap in the face to the brave men and women in law enforcement and those on the front lines who are tasked with keeping order in our state’s prison systems and our mental health facilities.”
“We understand the dire fiscal crisis facing the state but they should honor the commitment they made to our members,” NYSCOPBA said.
The fiscal crisis in New York — state officials estimate this year’s deficit is nearly $14 billion — is continuing as Cuomo’s administration and legislative leaders have blamed the state’s ballooning debt on a gridlocked Congress that has been unable to agree on a new stimulus package.
“Unfortunately, the ongoing failure of the federal government to deliver critical resources to states has left the state no choice but to implement tight spending controls, including freezing new contracts and hiring, and temporarily holding back portions of certain payments, which so far has reduced spending by more than $4 billion year over year,” said Freeman Klopott, a spokesman for the Division of the Budget. “We must now continue the controls by delaying pay raises scheduled for April, July, and September for 90 days further, at which point we will reassess state finances and whether they can be implemented.”
Legislation that would offer retirement buyouts to state and other government workers to help reduce the deficit has not advanced.
In some agencies and departments, workers were reporting three months ago that managers had f loated the prospect of early retirement incentives being offered by September, which is what the legislation called for. But those bills, in the Senate and Assembly, did not received public support from the majority leaders. At some state-run colleges, employees are reporting that layoffs and buyouts are being discussed.
The legislation would also propose early retirement incentives be offered to school districts and local government entities that elect to participate in the program.
According to the Public Employees Federation, certain members or specific titles designated by management would be eligible for up to three years of additional ser vice credit for an early retirement — with one month of extra ser vice up to an additional 36 months of pension credit. It would also allow eligible members who are age 55 and have 25 or more years of ser vice (rather than 30 years) to be eligible to retire without penalty during the time period they are offered.
Cuomo said in May that he was hopeful the state could avoid layoffs or furloughs. At that time, more than 30 percent of the state’s workforce had been doing their jobs from home, including many with diminished workloads. Although some agencies have allowed workers to return to their offices on staggered shifts, many employees are still working away from the office.
Fig ures provided to the Times Union by Cuomo’s office four months ago had indicated that 59 agencies, departments, offices and commissions had 36,178 people working remotely out of 119,135 workers.
The state has declined to renew numerous ser vice contracts and implemented a hiring freeze, but those steps are not enough to offset the deficit.