Statement of PEF President Kenneth Brynien on Furlough Hearing
Wednesday, May 26, 2010 at 1:57PM Albany - We remain hopeful we will prevail as a result of today’s hearing on a preliminary injunction to prevent the governor from implementing his plan to furlough 100,000 state employees.
Both sides were heard on this issue in U.S. District Court, Northern District by Judge Lawrence Kahn today. As we have maintained from the beginning, the furloughs are illegal. Judge Kahn indicated he will issue a decision within the next two days.
The governor continues to insist that breaking contracts negotiated in good faith are the only way he can generate savings from the state work force. He knows this is untrue. PEF has provided the governor with alternative budget solutions that would avoid such hardships.
Should the preliminary injunction be granted, it will be a victory for state taxpayers and public servants. State services must continue uninterrupted in order to prevent hardships to the taxpayers who depend on them.