Three--no, make that four--members of the Assembly have called on unionized teachers to forego $1 billion in scheduled pay raises to avoid massive layoffs and property tax increases. Forgetaboutit, responds Richard Iannuzzi. Instead the president Read More
In double-barreled editorials, the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle argues the state Legislature should freeze state employee salaries--and repeal the Triborough Amendment. No member of the Legislature has introduced a bill to repeal Read More
Assemblyman Sam Hoyt has given local residents a clear-eyed and realistic assessment of the fiscal crunch facing school districts throughout the region and the state Read More
Senator Chris Dodd's financial-regulatory includes some of what the press calls the "Volcker Rule" (p478): banning FDIC-insured banks and their affiliates or parent companies from what's known as "proprietary trading" or betting supposedly safe ban Read More
The state payroll for New York State shrunk by 1,856 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees during a two-year period ending in January 2010. However, despite a hiring freeze announced by Governor David Paterson in 2008, the state employs more workers t Read More
New York State government payrolls shrunk by 1,856 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees, or less than one percent, during a two-year period ending in January 2010, according to the latest data from the Office of the State Comptroller. However, the state still employed more workers than it did at the same point six years ago, in the wake of a less severe economic downturn and fiscal crisis. Read More
Far from being asked to sacrifice during the "Great Recession" that began in December 2007, the data indicate that state and local government workers thrived amid the economic misery afflicting most taxpayers. Read More
New York State entities continue to scrape the bottom of the barrel to scare up a few dollars. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will issue $475 million in short-term notes this week. The MTA pledges to repay the debt as soon as it get Read More