Your Money or Your Job!

by Lea Tyrrell

 What a tough choice for any employee to have to make - a paycut or layoffs!  Nassau County workers are being asked to make that decision now. And with the economy the way it is currently, and no significant improvement predicted this year, I suspect it's a decision many other workers around the country may be facing as well.

 In Nassau, it's a 7% cut workers are being asked to take or face hundreds of job cuts, all to help close a $130 million budget gap.

When we asked this News 12 Long Island Question of the Day "Do you think county workers should take a pay cut to balance Nassau's budget?" 61% of those who responded said yes. As expected, we got a lot or responses on this topic on the News 12 Sound Off Board and our [email protected] email address.

You can read the Sound Off Board responses by heading over to that button our our website.  The debate was interesting.  Some viewers felt a lower salary was better than no salary at all, while others thought a few hundred more people on unemployment would be better than a few thousand people, who are already struggling, taking home even less money and falling way behind on their bills.  What do you think?

Some more good responses, ideas and questions came in to the Long Island Talks email, and since I don't always get a chance to share them with viewers because of time constraints, I thought I'd share them here. 

"First, my husband is currently unemployed. My suggestion to Mr Suozzi is to post 2 police officers in any given school zone at anytime of day. The money that they will make issuing speeding tickets ( not warnings) will more than pay for our police offers and benefits. I would be willing to do this job for a SMALL per cent of the money this would pull in. Simple little things like this can generate thousands. I do not support Mr Suozzi in many areas bit I do support the 7% cut.  We are currently paying $1300.00 a month for COBRA. We can not do this much longer. I would have welcomed a pay cut for my husband instead of unemployment and no medical. They could contribute 10% towards their medical insurance and still be way ahead of the game."

"We are all in this together!  Things are very tough all around.
I work in a private company.
My company just announced paycut for every employee who makes over $40K/year."

"As a proud employee of NC for almost 22 years, I am again disappointed by a sitting county executive’s plan to balance the budget on the backs of the civil service workers.  Over the years, the county workforce has decreased dramatically and with that has come a decrease in services…just look at our county parks.  The public does not realize that many county workers make less than $30,000 and are expected to live here in NC.  I want to do my part to keep the county solvent and do not want a layoff of my fellow employees, however, I would love to see a campaign to “chop at the top” of the executive staff, instead of starting with the lowest salaried employees.  We CSEA workers keep this county moving in so many ways people don’t readily see.  I know from experience that all unions will sit down with the county executive and negotiate in good faith, as long as we’re not blindsided by the “smoke and mirrors” the legislature and county executive are fond of promoting."

"While you are seeking union concessions, I hope the use of county vehicles will be a subject of concessions. Am I correct that the use of such vehicles is embedded in some CSEA contracts?

If that is the case, it is outrageous that any administration negotiated the use of those vehicles into a labor contract."

 

"Mr. Suozzi, how do you plan on serving those parents who, based on the cuts outlined today, will have no after school setting for their children to be cared for and a percentage may be forced between working or going on some form of public assistance?  Recognizing that such after school care is far more economical and keeps parents on the tax roles than providing services through social services where are the savings you propose to realize?"

"Nassau county workers are the low men on the totem pole.  A 7% pay cut would cause a good percentage of those workers not to be able to meet their bills.  It would mean forclosures to hard working citizens.  The county executive needs to find another way, and not put the county woes on the backs of people who make very little to begin with."

 

"Mr. Suozzi, if these service cuts or layoffs affect the Nassau University Medical Center, I hope you look to cut out alot of the supervisors positions at the hospital. This is a place that has more nursing and radiology supervisors then workers. Radiology alone, has high paid supervisors doing desk work and working overtime on weekend shifts. A $100,000 dollar a year supervisor doing chest xrays for overtime.  The day shift alone has five supervisors, most hospitals have one supervisor in the radiology dept.

Nursing dept has so many supervisors on the floors, and they have hardly any nurses to cover all the patients. Ten years ago they had one supervisor on the floor for the nurses, and the work got done, now some floors have two supervisors.  The housekeeping dept has alot of supervisors walking around all day, and then those same supervisors are working overtime on the evening shift."

 

"I’m a County Employee, I’ll hold off on saying from which union. I wouldn’t like to see anyone lose their jobs. But, it’s not fair to ask for a 7% give back from employees. Some unions don’t receive timely contracts from the County to begin with. Some contracts are four years overdue, with zeros included. They don’t bargain in good faith even when times are good!!!   

It’s my opinion that it’s the County’s own debauchery and fiscal irresponsibility that has brought us to this point in the first place!  The economy provided the nail in the coffin, that much is true.  Suozzi will make all County workers look greedy, and he will blame the layoffs on our unwillingness to sacrifice.  In reality, it’s their own fault!!"   

 

Thanks for taking the time to write in.  We're still waiting to see what the eventual decision is for Nassau County and its workers.  We'll continue to follow this story and bring it to you when the decision is announced.

 

 

                 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[John]

First, the government "leaders" (quotes because I'm clearly being generous when their go-to move is "ask for more money") should be taking larger pay cuts, if they want to set an example. When you're talking six-figure salaries of the county executives (I can't find the exact number, for some reason), larger paycuts at the top can preserve more jobs at the bottom. Sure, it might only be a handful, but it's a handful of needy people.

Second, does either county publish a current CAFR? I can't find them, but I've been reading the state's, and it's very enlightening. Despite cries of poverty, government accounting apparently doesn't carry over prior year surpluses, nor does it include assets or investments in the annual budget. Where does that money go, exactly?

Perhaps someone whose loyalties are to the taxpayer should investigate this further.