CSEA Responds to Planned Layoffs in Albany County 2010 Budget

• by Civil Service Employees Association

LATHAM, NY (10/08/2009)(readMedia)-- CSEA, the union representing 1,400 Albany County employees, is responding to planned layoffs in the 2010 proposed budget released today. The budget includes 23 layoffs in CSEA-represented positions in 5 departments; DGS (1), DPW (11), Probation (1), Mental Health (5) and Children Youth and Family Services (5). The budget also calls for the elimination of an unspecified number of vacant positions throughout all county agencies.

"Putting workers out on to the street and into the unemployment lines will do nothing to remedy fiscal shortfalls in the county," said CSEA Capital Region President, Kathy Garrison. "Layoffs will make matters worse causing undue harm to employees, their families and county taxpayers who rely on vital services," Garrison added.

"Layoffs are not the solution, especially when cost-saving measures have not been investigated," said Albany County Local President, Jack Rohl.

CSEA is conducting an analysis of the budget. CSEA members will lobby their county legislators and attend upcoming budget meetings to protest the job cuts.

CSEA is New York State's leading union, representing employees of New York State and its counties, towns, villages, school districts, library systems, authorities and public corporations. Together with a growing population of private sector members and 50,000 retirees, CSEA forms a union 265,000 strong. It is also the largest affiliate (and Local 1000) of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) which, in turn, is one of the largest affiliates of the AFL-CIO.

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