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Union Leader Draws Line in Sand With Cuomo

PEF President Ken Brynien address People's State of the State rally
PEF President Ken Brynien address People's State of the State rally

The head of a major state worker union is warning Governor Cuomo not to ask state workers for more givebacks in the new state budget.

The President of the Public Employees Federation, Ken Brynien, says he’s drawing a line in the sand with Governor Cuomo, and has asked the governor not to expect more givebacks from state worker unions.

“I told him you can’t come back to us for anything else,” said Brynien.  “You’ve got as much as you are going to get, you’ve got to look elsewhere.”

The unions agreed to new contracts in the fall that contained concessions including a partial pay freeze, and greater contributions for health care.

Brynien spoke at a pre State of the State rally at the site of the former Occupy Albany encampment, where he suggested that instead of closing the state’s $2 billion dollar budget gap through state agency consolidations,  and other cuts, corporate tax loopholes should be closed instead, and “high priced” private consultants curtailed.

Karen DeWitt is Capitol Bureau chief for the New York Public News Network, composed of a dozen newsrooms across the state. She has covered state government and politics for the network since 1990.