Month: February 2009

As schools open, the number of school districts at impasse with teacher unions has increased by 12 percent since a year ago, according to the Public Employment Relations Board. Also noteworthy--although not emphasized by PERB--nearly one out of three school districts has yet to negotiate a new contract with its teachers. Read More

New York City will track the whereabouts of its 379 building inspectors with GPS technology installed, not in their city-issued vehicles, but in their cell phones. Read More

Despite the prospect of exploding budget gaps in the future, Albany has taken only modest steps toward streamlining state government, such as closing a few prisons and offering $20,000 buyouts to state employees. Read More

The Empire Center has posted the annual salaries of 179,000 local government employees in New York, including a retired Town of Clarkstown police officer Thomas Purtill who took home $543,416 during a 12-month period. Read More

Unlike other states, New York has avoided massive layoffs and furloughs of public employees to close recurring budget gaps. That could change. Newsday : Gov. David A. Paterson and some lawmakers are raising the spect Read More

It took a state-appointed financial control board to freeze salaries of Buffalo city employees, but once the 38-month freeze ended, employees argued they should be elevated to higher salary steps they would have achieved if there not been a freeze. In a case that should be watched by other financially squeezed municipalities, the Buffalo Fiscal Stability Authority will ask the state Court of Appeals to overturn lower court decisions granting higher steps to employees (here). Read More

The Empire Center has posted payroll records for 121,961 custodians, bus drivers, aides, secretaries and other non-professional public school employees on their transparency site, . A full release is available , and a chart detailing the 100 hig Read More

Despite a $12 million hole in the city's budget, Albany Mayor Gerald Jennings agreed to a tentative contract giving the police officers an 8 percent raise over two years--while keeping Albany taxpayers in the dark about the deal for three weeks. T Read More