The fiscal realities of the time have not deterred the Legislature from advancing dozens of bills enhancing benefits for State and local employees and retirees. The CBC has been tracking the progress of 25 of these bills on its annual Sweetener Scorecard.
Pension contributions this year will cost the state government alone $1.7 billion in fiscal year 2010-11 -- an amount already set to grow 85 percent, to $3.2 billion, by 2014. How much higher must it go before the Legislature puts the taxpayers ahead of special interests?
With the passage of the temporary spending bill today New York will begin a forced savings plan through the furlough of State employees. With a $9 billion budget gap yet to be addressed this year and a $20 billion gap in just three years, savings are urgently needed and labor is one of the right areas of the budget in which to seek them.
Executive Vice President and Director of Research Charles Brecher pens this op-ed that discusses ways to rein in growth of the City's retirement benefits, notably penions and health insurance.
CBC President Carol Kellermann explains how the State can cut spending equitably in the three largest areas of the budget: Medicaid, education, and employee benefits.
Research Director Chuck Brecher outlines 5 alternative solutions for saving up to $2 billion in Mayor Bloomberg's preliminary budget. Each of these proposals would avoid widespread layoffs and the reduction of other vital services.
President Carol Kellermann outlines what Mayor Bloomberg must accomplish in his negotiations with the Teachers' Union in order to get the vital reforms needed to fix the school system.
CBC President Carol Kellermann discusses a new survey from the CBC and the Partnership for New York City that reveals that municipal employee pension and health-insurance benefits are out of balance with the job market.
The CBC and the Partnership for New York City surveyed large private firms in New York City to provide a basis for comparing the health insurance and pension benefits of private sector workers with those of municipal employees.
