NEWS YOU CAN USE: THIS WEEK IN ALBANY

WEEK ENDING MAY 4, 2013

Excessive State Overtime Revealed

A report released by the State Comptroller’s Office this week revealed that State agencies accrued nearly 14.5 million hours of overtime in 2012, over 800,000 hours more than in 2011. The excessive state employee overtime costs reveal glaring deficiencies in the Cuomo administration’s workforce management plan.

“The Cuomo administration continues to purposely understaff state agencies and mandate overtime to a perverse degree,” said CSEA President Danny Donohue. “They tell the public they’re cutting the public work force and improving operations when they are really eroding decent middle-class jobs, leaving people at risk and still costing the public plenty.”

Act Now to Save SUNY Downstate

SUNY Downstate Medical Center provides vitally important healthcare to some of our most needy communities. The State Budget requires the SUNY Chancellor to submit a viability plan for the hospital to the Governor by June 1, 2013. We must fight to keep SUNY Downstate Medical Center a viable, strong public teaching hospital.

Call the Governor today at 1-888-833-7428 and tell him that New York State can not sell off or close Downstate Medical Center.

There will be a rally for SUNY Downstate on Thursday, May 9th. Rev. Al Sharpton will be attending a pre-rally press conference at SUNY Downstate (470 Clarkson Avenue) at 3pm. At 4:15 pm, participants will meet at Mt. Zion Church of God at 203 East 37th Street and march to the hospital at 5pm to join workers.

Warnings Ignored on ‘Close to Home’ Initiative 

In the wake of an explosive expose by the New York Daily News about the abysmal failure of the state ‘Close to Home’ juvenile justice reform program, CSEA can only say that repeated warnings about the initiative were ignored. CSEA opposed Governor Cuomo’s initiative to move juvenile offenders from state run facilities into not-for-profit New York City programs, citing potential public safety issues.

According to the paper, 198 of the program’s participants generated 422 warrants for being absent without leave after escaping from their group homes between September 2012 and March 2013. Eight of the missing youths were arrested for new crimes.
CSEA President Danny Donohue called the failure of the 'Close to Home' program “further evidence of the failure of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s public policy by news release that puts people at risk.”

Federal News

Last week, just hours before heading to the airport to go back to their home districts, Congress rushed through a bill to allow the Federal Aviation Administration to reshuffle funding and avoid flight delays caused by sequestration furloughs. While stopping the FAA furloughs is important, so is ensuring Americans have access to Meals on Wheels programs, child care, cancer treatment and unemployment assistance.

Click here to add your name to the petition calling on Congress to end the devastating sequestration cuts for all Americans.