Take that, Cuomo: Cuts rejected by NY workers union

Workers vote against governor’s $400 million grand bargain to freeze their wages and hike their health care premiums in return for no-layoffs pledge. Now at stake: 3,500 jobs.

By Shane Dixon Kavanaugh September 27, 2011

Members of New York’s second largest public employees union on Tuesday rejected a tentative contract agreement reached with the Cuomo administration, dealing a blow to the governor and forcing a showdown between organized labor and state government that could result in the loss of 3,500 public employee jobs.
Nearly 70% of Public Employee Federation members voted on the five-year contract, turning it down 54% to 46%. The contract would have required the union’s 54,000 workers to take a three-year pay freeze and pay more for their health insurance premiums.
“The decision to reject the tentative agreement was made by our rank-and-file members who clearly feel they are being asked to sacrifice more than others, particularly in light of the pending expiration of the state’s millionaire’s tax,” said Ken Brynien, president of the Public Employee Federation.