Cuomo’s talk of pay hikes at top offensive

Recently, an article in the Watertown Daily Times was headlined “Cuomo suggests staff deserves pay increase.” Gov. Andrew Cuomo is justifying raising his staff’s pay even as the Assembly considers raises for lawmakers. He states that “at some point” salaries among commissioners who are making six figures and other staff need to be raised to attract top talent. Lawmakers’ pay raises are usually tied to raises for the governor’s staff and judges and have already reserved funding for their raises. The suggestion that only those at the top deserve a raise in pay is insulting!

It is insulting to the Civil Service Employees Association and Public Employees Federation state employees who agreed to contracts with huge concessions including zero percent wage increases plus giving back nine days’ pay along with increases in health insurance premiums and co-pays in the first two years of their contracts. These concessions were agreed upon to protect the jobs of approximately 8,000 fellow state employees whom Gov. Cuomo was threatening to lay off. Management Confidential state employees have not seen pay increases in four years, but will be giving back nine days’ pay, and the New York State Corrections Officers and Police Benevolent Association, who are still negotiating, have been asked to give up nine days’ pay.

Gov. Cuomo has been talking for the past year about the dire financial straits that New York state finds itself in. He has said that he will make the tough decisions and we all must do our part to get back on track and return to financial stability. He asked state employees for givebacks and concessions and threatened to lay off thousands of state employees if they refused to agree.

And now he wants to give raises to his staff to “attract top talent?” And the legislators need raises?

What about the other state employees? What about state employees who agreed to concessions to protect the jobs of fellow employees who have not seen pay increases in four years or who haven’t had contracts for several years? And what about all the state employees who are expected to give back nine days’ pay?

Will his staff be giving back nine days’ pay? Will the legislators be giving back nine days’ pay?

It is insulting that Gov. Cuomo is even suggesting that only those at the top deserve pay increases!

Jolene Radley

Cape Vincent