Nassau lawmakers pass union wage deals
Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano works in his office in Mineola on Sept 12, 2013. (Credit: Howard Schnapp)
Videos
NIFA extends wage freeze, but details way to end it
Union workers protest outside NIFA meeting
Nassau's budget deficit
Galleries
Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano
Cost-of-living adjustments for Nassau unions
Nassau pay raises
With cheers from employees in attendance, the County Legislature voted 19-0 to authorize a memorandum of agreement between County Executive Edward Mangano and the Civil Service Employees Association. Lawmakers voted 13-0, with six of eight Democrats abstaining, for deals with the Police Benevolent Association, Detectives Association and the Superior Officers Association.
"This is an investment in each and every single one of us," PBA President James Carver said in a fiery speech to lawmakers before the vote.
SEARCH: Nassau County salaries | Nassau County overtime | Nassau County raises | LI town and city payrolls
MORE: Nassau County property tax refunds
He alluded to Democrats who had hinted they were not going to support the agreements, due to concerns about how the costs will be covered.
"Anyone who doesn't vote 'yes' is saying we're not worth that investment," Carver said. "And that's disgraceful."
The pacts -- which do not include the correction officers union -- must be ratified by the county's fiscal control board, the Nassau Interim Finance Authority. If finalized, cost-of-living raises for current workers and "step" increases for length of service that have been frozen since early 2011 would be reinstated.
In addition, a lower salary scale will be set for future hires, who also would begin contributing to their health care plans.
"This burden has been on their backs for so long and has caused quite a bit of harm to many families here," CSEA President Jerry Laricchiuta said of the freeze, which NIFA imposed in 2011.
Democrats expressed doubt about revenues the Mangano administration has said will cover the deals' costs. Most estimates put the cost at between $120 million and $170 million over four years, counting savings from workforce attrition.
A key revenue component would come from new speed cameras in 56 school zones. But the state has yet to approve them. Under a Democratic Assembly bill in Albany, Nassau would have to split the revenues with local villages.
Legislative budget analysts have said the county was being overly optimistic on its camera revenue projections, which it had estimated at $25 million to $30 million a year. Deputy County Executive Tim Sullivan acknowledged Monday, "there's really no history out there for speed cameras."
A "home rule" message requesting state approval of the speed cameras failed Monday night after Democrats did not provide a supermajority for it to be passed on an emergency basis. The measure will be reconsidered at a meeting later this month.
"This administration has a clear history of overestimating revenues," said Minority Leader Kevan Abrahams (D-Freeport). He said "it wasn't easy" for the members of his caucus who abstained on the police deals.
Abrahams also noted questions about whether Nassau can afford the CSEA deal. But he said of the workers: "It's widely known that they are the lowest-paid workers in the county."
Presiding Officer Norma Gonsalves (R-East Meadow) said the agreements were "long overdue . . . It would've been a total injustice to keep the [wage freeze] going."
NIFA chairman Jon Kaiman has said he is awaiting state approval on the speed cameras, as well as legal advice on particular language in the deals. He couldn't be reached after the legislature voted last night.
NIFA has said the wage freeze saved $230 million.
Mangano said in a statement after the vote that "these concession agreements save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars over the present contracts, require employee contributions to health care and pensions and settle approximately $400 million in litigation."
Also Monday, County Comptroller George Maragos reported that Nassau's 2013 expenses exceeded its revenues by $96.6 million. But because the county borrowed $115.5 million to pay for employee severance, court judgments and tax refunds, it ended 2013 with a surplus of $54.7 million, he said.Maragos noted in his year-end report, which still must be confirmed by outside auditors, that Nassau's liability for property tax refunds increased to an estimated $325 million.
NY Const Art. 1, Sec. 3 applies to all Nassau County residents whether they chose to work, bet, and/or pray on Sunday April 13 and Sunday April 20.
Suffolk County Legislator Kevin McCaffrey "represents" Nassau OTB employees in his capacity as President of Teamsters Local 707.
Anyone who wants to work and get paid has the right to do so.
Ask Kevin when the last time Nassau OTB employees had the opportunity to work more hours?
The hell with raises? Work and get paid. An idea invented by Communists?
HI-
Thanks for
the help. The item’s below. I’d be happy to mail you a copy,
if you give me a mailing address.
Claude Solnik
(631) 913-4244
Long
Island Business News
2150
Smithtown Ave.
Ronkonkoma,
NY 11779-7348
Home >
LI Confidential > Stop
scratching on holidays
Stop scratching on holidays
Published: June 1, 2012
Off Track Betting in New York State has been racing into a crisis called shrinking revenue. Some people have spitballed a solution: Don’t close on holidays.
New York State Racing Law bars racing on Christmas, Easter and Palm Sunday, and the state has ruled OTBs can’t handle action on those days, even though they could easily broadcast races from out of state.
“You should be able to bet whenever you want,” said Jackson Leeds, a Nassau OTB employee who makes an occasional bet. He added some irrefutable logic: “How is the business going to make money if you’re not open to take people’s bets?”
Elias Tsekerides, president of the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York, said OTB is open on Greek Orthodox Easter and Palm Sunday.
“I don’t want discrimination,” Tsekerides said. “They close for the Catholics, but open for the Greek Orthodox? It’s either open for all or not open.”
OTB officials have said they lose millions by closing on Palm Sunday alone, with tracks such as Gulfstream, Santa Anita, Turf Paradise and Hawthorne running.
One option: OTBs could just stay open and face the consequences. New York City OTB did just that back in 2003. The handle was about $1.5 million – and OTB was fined $5,000.
Easy money.
No comments:
Post a Comment