Some things happen every spring. The sun grows warmer. The trees sprout fresh green leaves. And Albany lawmakers dream up new and costly ways to make government workers even more comfortable when they retire.
This year is no exception. Although the economy looks like it’s sinking into a recession and tax revenues are going over a cliff, members of the Assembly and Senate seem as eager as ever to give away the store to public employee unions.
Lawmakers are getting ready to vote on dozens of pension sweeteners and other goodies that would sock taxpayers for hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars.
And if the past is any guide, the pols will say yes to almost everything.
Our best hope is Gov. Paterson and his trusty veto pen.
The grab bag is open, and everyone’s getting in on the action:
Should New York City workers be allowed to retire at 55? Sure!
Should nurses and midwives in city hospitals be allowed to collect pensions after only 20 years? Okay!
How about 20 years and out for bridge and tunnel workers or city correction officers? You got it!
But the big kahuna is a sweetheart deal coming up for a vote this week. It would ban local governments from doing anything to control the runaway cost of health benefits for retirees.
The legislation is being sold as a one-year “moratorium,” and calls for appointing a study commission. But teachers received this same “temporary” protection 15 years ago – and lawmakers have renewed it ever since.
“Make no mistake, this is a permanent temporary moratorium,” warns E.J. McMahon of the Empire Center for Public Policy.
Government retirees are fortunate to have health coverage at all, especially given that many of them can start collecting pensions in their 40s and 50s. Most retirees in the private sector must fend for themselves until they qualify for Medicare at age 65.
And the cost is huge. Of the $2.7 billion a year that New York City spends on health benefits, 39% is for people collecting pension checks. Even if it never hired another soul, the city’s long-term costs for current employees add up to a whopping $58 billion – which is almost as much as the city’s annual budget.
Meanwhile, New York State government is on the hook for an estimated $50 billion, more than any other state.
State Controller Thomas DiNapoli recently urged local governments to get serious about managing this liability – both by setting aside money to pay the bills and by cutting costs.
Nobody is suggesting that these retirees, having been promised health coverage, should be cut off entirely. But asking them to chip in for part of the premium, or to contribute reasonable co-payments, is only fair. Especially with health care costs on the rise for everyone.
Otherwise, Assemblyman Michael Fitzpatrick of Long Island says, “You’re asking [taxpayers] to dig deeper in their pockets to fund a level of retirement and health benefits they themselves will never see. … It’s indefensible.”
Is anybody else in the Legislature listening?
Apparently not. After all, the lawmakers are government workers, too. They will eventually share in many of the goodies they hand out to the teachers and clerks and plow drivers.
And more to the political point, the public employee unions have the political clout to make or break just about any Albany lawmaker. They spend big bucks on campaign contributions and lobbyists and provide armies of volunteers at election time. This is why pols like Fitzpatrick, willing to stick up for taxpayers, are so rare around Albany.
Says Fitzpatrick: “When my colleagues fear the homeowners more than they fear the unions, that’s when things will change.”
Don’t hold your breath, but do hold onto your wallet.
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