Cuomo, CSEA Reach Deal
Gov. Cuomo announced on Wednesday that a deal has been reached with the state’s largest public employee union, the Civil Service Employee Association. The five-year labor agreement affects some 66,000 state employees, and would save the state $73 million this fiscal year and $93 million next fiscal year. State service employees represented by the union will see no across-the-board pay increases until 2013. Then a $1,000 lump sum pay increase will be issued, followed by 2 percent across-the-board increases in 2014 and 2015, according to a union press release. The deal prevents layoffs of CSEA represented employees under Cuomo’s proposed budget cuts. “I applaud CSEA’s leadership for their hard work to reach this deal, which is a win-win for CSEA members and the state of New York. This tentative contract, if adopted by the other bargaining units, means layoffs needed to achieve needed workforce savings would be avoided,” said Cuomo. The tentative agreement must pass state Legislature and be approved by the union rank and file to take effect.
WTC Memorial Waterfalls Tested
One of the pools outlining the footprints of the World Trade Center towers was tested on Wednesday. The 16 water pumps were turned on to test the waterfall’s overall operation. “The way the wind plays with the water, it makes it feel living,” Joseph C. Daniels, the president and CEO of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum told The New York Times. According to The Times, Daniels’s two major concerns prior to the testing were noise, and an issue with possible turbulence in the pool’s corners, both of which were alleviated. Designed almost a decade ago, “Reflecting Absence” by Michael Arad features two waterfalls cascading down to reflective pools. The walls of the two waterfalls add up to 1,400 feet long, and when completed will be the largest engineered waterfalls in the nation.
Final Vote Close on “Big Ugly” Deal
The legislation that would cap real estate taxes and extend rent control regulations appears to be closer to a final vote, according to state lawmakers. Close to a million New Yorkers are residing in apartments affected by the regulations. Deliberations have been extended since last week, with two 24-hour emergency extensions since Monday. Part of the legislation would raise the rent decontrol cap from $2,000 to $2,500. Currently, rent decontrol allows for removing rent stabilization for unoccupied apartments with rental costs higher than $2,000. The compound bill includes increases for CUNY and SUNY tuition. “We’re closing the few, outstanding, technical issues on rent regulations,” Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos told The Capitol Confidential.
