CUOMO URGES JOB GROWTH BY LAYING OFF WORKERS

Danny Donohue
photo: CSEA

April 3, 2013

Statement of CSEA President Danny Donohue on Thruway and Canal Layoffs

“It is likely that New York State Thruway and Canal Corporation workers will be put out of work today. This is a tragedy for these workers who have done nothing to deserve it. CSEA has sought alternatives, but there has been no movement by the administration. It’s a sad commentary that Governor Cuomo cares more about making a political point than he does about the well being of these workers and their families, even at the expense of Thruway and Canal operations.”

Please Note:

The Thruway Authority has long been mismanaged and a landing spot for many political patronage appointees. Any claim that these layoffs are necessary due to economic circumstances is bogus because not a single patronage employee or even a manager is being let go – only unionized workers.

It’s also disingenuous if the administration tries to claim that there won’t be negative impact on operations. That’s impossible when they are laying off 234 workers who actually do the work of maintaining and operating and inspecting the roadways and the canals. (81 of the layoffs are in CSEA-represented positions – 39 in Canals, 42 in the Thruway professional unit.)

The governor’s handpicked negotiator, Joe Bress, is conducting the negotiations.

The Thruway contracts are completely different from the state Executive Branch contracts. It’s an apples to oranges comparison.

Since 2010, nearly 60,000 public sector jobs have been lost in New York – middle class jobs, which has eroded services and stalled the state’s economic recovery.