A day after the state Civil Service Employees Association officially approved a 5-year contract that avoids layoffs by imposing furloughs and increasing health-care contributions, the union’s president said he hopes the deal is the “beginning of the process” of its rocky relationship with Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
“The governor has 3 1/2 more years to go,” Donohue said at a news conference this morning. “We’ll be here with him, working hopefully—as we showed this time—together on these issues. We’re not the whipping boy, we didn’t cause the problems, so we can help with the solutions, we believe.”
Cuomo and the union still don’t see eye to eye on the governor’s proposal for a new, trimmed-down pension tier, as well as whether or not to extend a tax on New Yorkers making more than $200,000 annually, which is set to expire at the end of the year.
CSEA approved the deal by more than a 60/40 margin, the union announced late last night. The final tally was 16,896 in favor with 11,856 opposed.
The union represents more than 66,000 members. 28,752 returned their ballot, which Donohue said is a little better than average compared to previous votes.
