CSEA Slams Gov. Paterson's Budget - Proposal Hits Middle Class Hardest

ALBANY, NY (12/16/2008)(readMedia)-- Services, jobs and communities will all be hard hit and middle income New Yorkers will bear the brunt of the cost under Governor David Paterson's proposed 2009-10 state budget. The massive cuts will undermine education, health care and localities along with further cuts in hard hit state operations.

"The middle class will have to pay more and get less while the wealthiest New Yorkers slide by under the Governor's proposal," said CSEA President Danny Donohue, "There is no sharing of the sacrifice here – it's working people getting stuck with the bill."

Donohue vowed that CSEA will fight the proposal every way, in every part of New York. The union has already scheduled the March for Main Street when the Governor delivers his State of the State message on January 7 at the state Capitol.

CSEA also takes exception to the Governor once again calling on the union to reopen its state contracts even though we have repeatedly told him no and offered numerous other money saving suggestions.

A number of gimmicky tax and fee increases will not adequately address the state's deficit and will hit working New Yorkers hardest. At the same time the proposals will likely lead to significant loss of services at a time when New Yorkers need them most and will also result in layoffs and property tax increases.

"CSEA does not question the importance of bold and serious action to address the unprecedented fiscal challenges facing our state," Donohue said. "We do question Governor Paterson's approach – it represents 'death by a thousand cuts' to middle class New Yorkers."

"For whatever reason the Governor seems fixated on the idea of not raising taxes on the wealthiest New Yorkers," Donohue said. "Yet his proposals for cuts in aid to health care, schools and local governments will only lead to job loss and drastic reductions in services in those areas, along with local property tax increases that will hurt real people in real places."

"CSEA is extremely disappointed in what Governor Paterson has put forward," Donohue said "It flies in the face of everything he claimed to have stood for throughout his more than 20 years in elected office. What's most disturbing is that at a time when we need leadership that inspires us, all we're getting are political knee-jerks and scapegoating of public employees."

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