CSEA ramps up campaign over Tier 6 "Dark Deal"

ALBANY, NY (03/29/2012)(readMedia)-- CSEA has launched a new front against the big political giveaway the governor, state Senators and Assembly members approved for themselves and political appointees.

"Under the cover of darkness, Governor Cuomo, state Senators and Assembly members voted an outrageous perk to themselves and their highly paid political cronies within the Tier 6 legislation." CSEA President Danny Donohue said.

Legislators and political appointees being paid more than $75,000 annually are all in line to cash in for thousands of dollars every year! The expanded 401(k) style program lavishes an extra 8 percent of salary, over and above their lucrative pay – literally thousands of dollars – into their individual investment funds. This after Cuomo and lawmakers claimed that New York couldn't afford decent pensions for low and middle-income front-line public workers any more.

While front-line workers now need 10 years of service to vest in their modest pension program, the politically favored few can literally take the money and run after just one year of service – so it's like getting a cash bonus windfall they didn't earn. Even under Tier 5, short-term political appointees would not have qualified for pension benefits until they had at least 10 years of service in the system. Now they benefit after just one year, undermining claims of reform in the public interest.

"The average pension for a CSEA-represented employee is about $14,000 annually after decades of service, but this boondoggle means the politically favored will minimally receive $6,000 annually every year, after one year of service," Donohue said. "That is totally unacceptable and we can only hope that the public will be as outraged at Governor Cuomo and the State Senators and Assembly members as we are."

CSEA has TV, radio and print ads beginning in every media market in the state and is prepared to actively take this issue into every community. The union announced last week that it is suspending its political endorsements and contributions as a direct consequence of the governor's political deal with the legislature that put politics before people.

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