reported this morning that "independent" arbitrator John Zuccotti, who was supposed to represent the public in the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's contract with the Transport Workers Union, planned to donate his $116,000 fee -- at $900 a Read More
Governor Paterson has now all but formally abandoned . Instead, he has tucked a hopelessly byzantine variation of the cap into that would kick in when (or if) the state ever has some extra money sitting around again. So, in place of Paterson is Read More
The number of retired New York government employees with six-figure pensions is apparently growing at a 20 percent annual rate. , newly posted by the Journal News of the lower Hudson Valley, lists 1,081 individuals with pensions of $100,00 Read More
Today's from Governor Paterson's office says the governor's proposed pension changes for new newly hired employees will save $60 billion over 30 years. But here's the missing perspective: for state government, the modest changes proposed by Paterso Read More
The Empire State is being drained of an invaluable resource—people. From 2000 to 2008, in both absolute and relative terms, New York experienced the nation’s largest loss of residents to other states—a net domestic migration outflow of over 1.5 million, or 8 percent of its population at the start of the decade. Read More
If Gov. Paterson cuts funding to the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority as expected, the MTA may make up for the cut by slashing payments to its pension fund, the Bond Buyer (you need a subscription). The MTA would use the t Read More
Forget the dismal economy. Or that police officers in Orangetown and Pelham Manor are among the best paid in the lower Hudson Valley. According to two arbitration panels, the police are underpaid--and deserve retroactive raises of nearly 8.2 percent Read More
Wendell Cox has a new at newgeography on how practically to open up transit monopolies. One part, which discusses how London runs its public-bus service, is relevant to New York: Transport for London ... is competitively bid. Between Read More
Governor Paterson's includes a $300 million raid on the coffers of the Battery Park City Authority (BPCA), which would be required to issue new bonds and send the proceeds to Albany. But BPCA board member Charles Urstadt and former authority spok Read More
Democratic mayoral challenger Bill Thompson said something good yesterday: "Can you afford 4 percent [raises for teachers] in the current environment? Probably not," he . Thompson's right. The education payroll, not including benefits, is alread Read More
By lifting its cap on charter schools and allowing test score gains to be considered in teacher evaluations, New York State could ultimately grab a share of the federal government's $4 billion in "Race to the Top" funding for educational improvement. Read More
Governor Deval Patrick says he will eliminate 2,000 jobs unless public employee unions make concessions, including possible unpaid furloughs. Patrick's approach contrasts with that of New York Governor David Paterson, who also on Thursday, propose Read More