Archive for July, 2009

BALCONY HAILS GOVERNOR PATERSON SIGNING YOUNG INVINCIBLES HEALTH CARE BILL

The signing into law (July 29, 2009) of a health insurance plan for New York’s young invincibles, those 19-29 year olds, is a fine example of BALCONY and the American Cancer Society successfully bringing together business, labor and health care advocates to reduce the total of New York’s uninsured.

We thank Insurance Committee chairs Senator Neil Breslin and Assemblyman Joseph Morelle for their efforts to pass this worthwhile legislation. We further applaud the New York State Insurance Department for its commitment to finding a creative way to cover our state’s young adults. Finally, we thank Governor David Paterson for signing this bill into law providing health care coverage to an estimated 800,000 currently uninsured young adult New Yorkers.

May New York’s spirit of coalition be copied by the Congress as they formulate a health program to cover all Americans.

Read the Governor’s Press Release by clicking here.

News Coverage of the new legislation (click here)

Adult children can stay on their parents’ health insurance policy through age 29, laid-off workers can keep insurance longer, and health consumers and care providers get extra rights under three new laws signed in Rochester Wednesday by Gov. David A. Paterson.

Read the complete article.

Read the Balcony-Rochester Health Care Forum report here.

2009-2010 BALCONY ACCESS FOR SMALL BUSINESS: FORUMS & SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

The Business and Labor Coalition of New York is in discussion with WCBS NewsRadio 880 to conduct 5 forums throughout New York State to assist small business owners and small business organizations gain access to the information they need to weather this economic storm and plan for a rapidly changing business future.

To fulfill this need, BALCONY will partner with Sponsors that share this mission of leveling the playing field for small business owners by delivering important information, while increasing the company’s commitment to resolve economic challenges that small business owners face these days.

BALCONY and its members recognize the vital services and quality-of-life that New York’s small business community provides for our State each and every day. These small business owners can access the information they need in an expedited manner at these forums, while making direct contacts that can help them with pressing issues, like “how do I afford healthcare for my family and employees?” The less time they have to spend gathering information the more time they can spend achieving goals and milestones in their businesses.

Read the full write-up and sponsorship details.

BALCONY Unites Business & Labor for Common Purpose

Extracted from The Official Newsletter for the New York Affordable Reliable Electricity Alliance, Summer 2009
Employing a spirit of cooperation and collaboration, the Business and Labor Coalition of New York (BALCONY) has been at the forefront of seeking common ground among business and labor within the Empire State. Founded in 2006 by Alan Lubin, Executive Vice President of New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) and Bruce Ventimiglia, Chairman of the Saratoga Capital Management, BALCONY has been recognized as an effective, non-partisan coalition that has advanced significant public policy initiatives beneficial to businesses and workers alike.

Read the entire story: Newsletter Story

Read the entire Newsletter: Newsletter

New Factory Seen as Boon for Upstate

by Nicholas Confessore

MALTA, N.Y. — A decade ago, it was 200 acres of pine trees near Saratoga Lake. A decade from now, it could be the booming heart of a new high-tech corridor, filled with some of the most sophisticated labs and plants in the country.

After years of haggling and setbacks, officials finally broke ground Friday on a $4.2 billion plant that will manufacture advanced microprocessors and would be the most advanced facility of its kind in the world. The plant, to be built on a 222-acre site, will be bigger than the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan.

Elected officials are counting on the expected completion of the factory in 2011 to provide a major boost to the ailing upstate region, where for years they have promised, and mostly failed, to deliver an economic resurgence.

The plant, which will manufacture chips for California-based Advanced Micro Devices and other chip design firms, will generate 1,400 new manufacturing jobs, officials say.

With the new factory as an anchor, they say, they can attract more investment to the area, building a cluster of businesses and academic centers that could ultimately rival Route 128 outside of Boston or North Carolina’s Research Triangle.

“You’ve got everything in place here to make the whole upstate region a leader in chip fab manufacture and high technology generally,” said Charles V. Wait, president of Adirondack Trust Corporation, a bank that helped finance early efforts to bring tech companies to the area. “When I grew up, you couldn’t find a job here in Saratoga, and everyone left after college.”

The plant will receive $1.37 billion in state aid over 15 years, making it one of the most heavily subsidized projects in state history. About half that money is capital aid that was appropriated in this year’s budget, a considerable gamble at a time of severe economic crisis.

“I was concerned about the value of taxpayer dollars versus the number of jobs that would be created,” said Gov. David A. Paterson, speaking at a news conference after the groundbreaking. “But when I started to see that we would move to global leadership in semiconductor development, I then realized that these are where the jobs of the next decade can come from.”

The new factory is also a gamble for Advanced Micro Devices, the world’s second-largest producer of computer chips.

Since January, the company has posted hundreds of millions of dollars in losses, and it expects sales to continue declining. In March, it partnered with the Advanced Technology Investment Company, created by the Abu Dhabi government, to spin off GlobalFoundries, which will build and own the New York plant. The Abu Dhabi backing will provide a hedge against any threats to the project posed by the continued recession in the United States.

While chip design is a big business in the United States, most chips are manufactured in China, Taiwan and Singapore. The factory here, some experts say, will help make the country globally competitive in chip manufacture for the first time in years.

“The grants and tax support level the playing field on a global basis,” said Douglas A. Grose, the chief executive of Global Foundries. “We looked all over the world for the next site. Every country that wanted a facility like this stepped forward.”

For state economic development officials, the groundbreaking was the culmination of more than a decade of planning that began during the administration of Gov. George E. Pataki.

Before state officials could entice an advanced chip factory to the region, they had to build an entire infrastructure to support it. That included not only a network of new roads and utility upgrades, but the creation of local academic centers, including an institute for nanotechnological engineering at the State University at Albany.

“There were times when we had some doubt along the way,” said Mr. Grose.

Even after Advanced Micro Devices settled on the project site, in 2006, there were hurdles, including zoning issues, the company’s financial difficulties and the need for more state financing. To smooth the way for timely construction, Mr. Paterson — once a skeptic about the project — jumped in to negotiate a labor agreement under which the factory would be built mostly by New York workers.

At Friday’s ceremony, a mound of dirt was piled in an air-conditioned tent with seven shovels ready for the groundbreaking ceremony, one for each of the speakers. Champagne awaited in an adjoining tent. The lineup of elected officials included Mr. Paterson, Mr. Pataki, United States Senator Charles E. Schumer and Joseph L. Bruno, the former State Senate leader who retired last year and who regards the factory as part of his legacy.

Mr. Bruno said he was so eager to see the project through final approval that he had put off retiring.

“I knew it was going to happen,” he said.

Aetna Appoints Anne C. Beal, MD, MPH to Head The Aetna Foundation

HARTFORD, Conn., July 13, 2009 — Aetna Inc. (NYSE: AET) today announced the appointment of Anne C. Beal, M.D., M.P.H. as head of the Aetna Foundation, the independent charitable and philanthropic arm of Aetna Inc. Since 1980, Aetna and the Aetna Foundation have contributed over $359 million in grants and sponsorships, and coordinated millions of volunteer hours by Aetna employees.

“As a physician who specializes in pediatric care and public health, Dr. Beal brings to the Foundation a unique combination of clinical and policy experience,” said Ronald A. Williams, Aetna chairman and chief executive officer, and chairman of the Aetna Foundation Board of Directors. “We welcome Dr. Beal to the Aetna Foundation and look forward to working with her to further our commitment to enhancing quality health care practices and improvement of the public health through our business practices and charitable giving.”

Beal joins Aetna from The Commonwealth Fund, where she directed the Fund’s program to improve health care quality for low-income and minority patient populations. Prior to the Commonwealth Fund, she was an attending physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, and on the faculty at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Beal’s research focused on social influences on preventive health behaviors, disparities in health care, and quality of care for child health.

She is a recognized authority in health disparities, quality of care, and children’s health — topics on which she has published several articles in the medical literature, as well as a book titled, “The Black Parenting Book: Caring for Our Children in the First Five Years.”

Beal earned an A.B. degree in biology from Brown University in 1984, a Doctorate in Medicine from Cornell University Medical College in 1988 and a Masters in Public Health from Columbia University in 1993.

About The Aetna Foundation
The Aetna Foundation is the independent charitable and philanthropic arm of Aetna Inc. Founded in 1972, the Foundation seeks to help build healthy communities by funding initiatives that improve the quality of life where our employees and customers live and work. The Foundation’s giving is focused on health, diversity and employee community involvement, with broader programs in our home state of Connecticut. Since 1980, the Aetna and the Aetna Foundation have contributed over $359 million in grants, sponsorships and social investments. In 2008, Aetna and the Aetna Foundation contributed more than $25.5 million nationally. Additional information about the Aetna Foundation is available at www.aetna.com/foundation. Also, please visit the Aetna Foundation’s 2008 Annual Giving report at: http://www.aetna.com/foundation/about/annualreports.html

About Aetna
Aetna is one of the nation’s leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 37.2 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life and disability plans, and medical management capabilities and health care management services for Medicaid plans. Our customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates. For more information, see www.aetna.com and Aetna’s Annual Report at www.aetna.com/2008annualreport.

Garment and Textile Workers’ Assets Must Be Protected

by Bruce Raynor and Edgar Romney

Dear Sisters and Brother in the Labor Movement,

The failure of the UNITE HERE merger and the current dispute between the remaining leaders of UNITE HERE and Workers United has been ugly and not helpful to the labor movement at large.

Like most of you, we are concerned with issues such as passing the Employee Free Choice Act with majority sign-up intact, reforming our national healthcare plan, and of course, helping all our members and local leaders deal with employers who are exploiting this economic crisis to stall negotiations, shed workers and cut benefits.

In the middle of this, we are also fighting to preserve the legacy and assets built up by generations of garment workers whose predecessor unions made us what we are today.

For weeks now, John Wilhelm has insinuated that we are involved in a concerted attempt to steal the assets of UNITE HERE. He’s made the allegation in the press, in e-mails to all of you and in the courts. He has even had the audacity to state, “We are committed to ensuring that assets that have been built by generations of hardworking members remain in the hands of our members and are not subject to the takeover scheme of any individual or group.”

That statement is rich with irony, given that Wilhelm’s members played no role in building those assets.

We have tried to take the high road and ignore these attacks, but let’s put the facts out there:

UNITE entered the marriage with HERE a wealthy union with a strong and diverse financial portfolio worth hundreds of millions of dollars. In addition, UNITE Joint Boards also brought millions of dollars in real estate and cash into the merger. HERE had almost nothing.
Within hours of the merger, UNITE committed millions of dollars of its reserves to help out HERE.
Over five years, we spent more than $100 million supporting Wilhelm, his lieutenants and their expensive consultants’ failed organizing strategies, including more than $10 million on one of his Yale buddies in Toronto.
Now that we have ended this failed merger, John Wilhelm is laying claim to hundreds of millions of dollars of assets that we brought to the merger. (see the fact sheet Taking the Shirts Off Our Back below)

Let’s be frank: The only person trying to take something that doesn’t belong to him here is John Wilhelm.

150,000 former UNITE HERE members left that union to form Workers United and affiliate with SEIU. It was their predecessor union, UNITE, that contributed virtually ALL of the assets that John Wilhelm is nowclaiming belong to HERE’s leaders. They want our bank. They want our building. They want our members’ dues.

Workers United members and retirees are only asking to keep some of what already belonged to them. These garment and textile workers should not be forced to pay the price for this failed merger, and we will fight this outrageous attempt to cut them off from their rightful inheritance: the assets that their unions saved and built and brought to the merger.

Thank you for your support and all you do each day to help hardworking men and women.

In solidarity,
Bruce Raynor
President, Workers United

Edgar Romney
Secretary-Treasurer, Workers United

TAKING THE SHIRTS OFF OUR BACKS?
John Wilhelm Attempts to Lay Claim to Garment and Textile Workers’ Legacy

“The union assets-the buildings, medical centers, housing and the bank-were built with our sweat, tears, pennies and dimes. We built these things, which are now called assets, to provide a better future for our brothers and sisters who followed us in the labor movement … Our assets are not a checkbook; they’re a symbol of what workers can accomplish. Our assets are our source of hope, accomplishment and victory. To lose our buildings, medical centers, housing and bank is to lose a piece of ourselves.”

–Workers United National Retiree Council

In 2004, two independent unions-UNITE and HERE-merged to form UNITE HERE.

UNITE, the result of an earlier merger of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union (ILGWU) and the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union (ACTWU), developed through years of careful saving and investing into a union with a strong financial portfolio despite its shrinking jurisdiction.

HERE, the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union, had enormous potential for organizing given its jurisdiction but was nearly broke at the time of the merger, with few assets and significant liabilities given the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the history of HERE’s infiltration by organized crime. In fact, it was common knowledge across the labor movement that the main reason HERE leadership was seeking a merger was the union faced dire financial circumstances and an inability to organize within its core jurisdictions.

Five years later, after the 2009 breakup of UNITE HERE and the formation of Workers United out of most of the original UNITE, HERE is brazenly attempting to lay claim to a number of the assets UNITE brought to the merger, including:

The Amalgamated Bank
estimated value: $225 million
Founded by the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America in 1923, the Amalgamated Bank was built over the years on the backs of immigrant garment workers and is the only fully union-owned bank in the United States. At the time of the UNITE HERE merger just five years ago, the bank was owned by UNITE and its affiliates-not by HERE. The bank has come to pay an annual dividend worth millions of dollars to UNITE and its joint boards. Today, the bank has nearly $4.7 billion in total assets and it generates millions of dollars of annual revenue for the union, which allows it to keep dues for its members low.

Despite the long-standing ownership stake of UNITE and its predecessor unions in the needletrades, leaders of the HERE side of the failed merger are attempting to seize ownership of the bank.

275 Seventh Ave., New York, N.Y.
estimated value: $75 million-$100 million
Purchased by the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union more than 60 years ago, this 28-story office building has housed over time ILGWU garment shops, a manufacturing center, the ILGWU headquarters, the union’s health center and many of its locals, a training center for immigrant workers and many progressive organizations supporting workers’ rights and other causes. Today it is a Class B commercial office property and it is estimated to be worth $75 million-$100 million.

Leaders of the HERE are currently occupying the 275 Seventh Ave. offices that once served as home to UNITE, and they have locked out the former occupants. UNITE HERE President John Wilhelm has made a claim for total ownership of the building in court and in public statements. His supporters have also made a move to raid the building fund, approximately $9 million, in complete disregard of the needs of the building and the authority of the independent managers of the building.

The UNITE Strike Fund
estimated value $20 million
At the time of the merger, UNITE had approximately $12.8 million in its Strike and Defense Fund. In contrast, HERE’s strike fund had very little-about $2.9 million. After the merger, UNITE HERE used the merged fund to support a major, and enormously successful, strike of Atlantic City, N.J., casino workers and an ongoing strike at the Congress Hotel in Chicago. These two strikes cost the fund more than $10 million.

The strike fund has been replenished by utilizing a portion of the international union’s per capita receipts and is now worth about $20 million. It has been built by all the former members of UNITE HERE, including those members who are now part of Workers United, despite the solidarity shown by former UNITE members in support of HERE members, Wilhelm is laying claim to the entire strike fund. Workers United members deserve the ability to support themselves in a strike and are entitled to a portion of the fund.

Dues Payments of Workers United Members
estimated value: approximately $2.5 million per month
In March 2009, almost 150,000 members and their representatives voted to disaffiliate from UNITE HERE, formed Workers United and then affiliated with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU)*. Despite the workers’ democratic decision to leave UNITE HERE, President Wilhelm sent a number of letters to as many as 1,600 employers of these workers challenging their representation and suggesting their dues should be escrowed. At the same time, the National Labor Relations Board-along with seven NLRB regional directors-ruled that the Workers United affiliate is the legitimate union for the workers, rejecting UNITE HERE’s arguments to the contrary.

President Wilhelm stepped up his efforts July 14 to claim dues payments of Workers United members. He sent a letter to employers all over the country threatening employers who “continue making dues payments to an entity that no longer claims to be affiliated with UNITE HERE” and “dues should be sent directly to [UNITE HERE] to satisfy its priority claim.” While the NLRB has already found that Workers United is the rightful representative of these workers in every case that has come up, UNITE HERE is trying to divert more than $2.5 million a month of Workers United members’ dues money to its own coffers.

A SETTLEMENT OFFER

In addition to proposing a deal on jurisdiction and the members who are currently in dispute, Workers United/SEIU has made an offer of almost $50 million to UNITE HERE as part of a good faith effort to resolve the outstanding issues between the unions.

This financial offer would provide nearly $31 million in immediate cash to President Wilhelm’s cash-strapped union, as well as a payment of $3 million per year for the next five years. This amount of money would also ensure that HERE walks away from the merger having more than doubled what it brought to it.

The predecessor unions of Workers United, including the ILGWU, ACTWU and UNITE, spent a lifetime amassing a financial base and diverse portfolio to help these workers, historically some of the most low-paid and exploited workers in North America, achieve better lives. Ironically, UNITE HERE President John Wilhelm is now positioning HERE as the heir to the work of previous generations of ILGWU and ACTWU members. “We are committed to ensuring that assets that have been built by generations of hardworking members remain in the hands of our members and are not subject to the takeover scheme of any individual or group,” he has said**.

The legacy of ILGWU, ACTWU and UNITE, must not fall victim to opportunism, greed or a legal scheme by HERE to seize their assets. Workers United is committed to defending the interests of our members, as well as the legacies of the hardworking women and men who built a foundation for other workers in the needletrades to thrive and achieve a better life.

* As part of the affiliation agreement between SEIU and Workers United, SEIU has no stake in or control over the bank, and Workers United retains ownership and control over all its assets, including the building.

**UNITE HERE press release, July 16, 2009.

GOVERNOR PATERSON VETOES 14 BILLS, SAVES NEW YORK STATE $5.7 MILLION

Calls for Fiscal Discipline from Legislature, Focus only on Essential Programs and Services

Governor David A. Paterson today announced that he has vetoed 14 bills that would have added significant costs to taxpayers and further strained the State Budget. The bills were drafted outside of the budgetary process and would have expanded non-essential programs and services at a cost of $5.7 million. The proposed legislation did not offer reductive measures to compensate for the spending increases.

“This is not a time to add to the State’s spending or to increase the burden on the State’s taxpayers. This is the time for fiscal responsibility, and that means vetoing bills that increase costs to taxpayers,” Governor Paterson said. “While these bills address important causes, government has to live within its means – just like regular New Yorkers do every day. That means making difficult choices so we can lay the foundation for our economic recovery.”

Included among the legislation vetoed this week:

A.1800/S.2210, which could have cost New York City an estimated $162 million by changing the definition of the word “income” as related to the way in which seniors’ out-of-pocket medical expenses are treated in the tax code;

A.8103/S.5261-B, which would have provided $5 million in State Lottery Aid to a school district with an unbalanced budget, thereby setting the dangerous precedent of encouraging schools not to balance their budgets and wait for Lottery Aid to bail them out;

A.8864/S.6074, which would have increased costs to the State’s student loan program;

A.8694/S.5824, which would have changed the date on which the City of Syracuse could have requested aid money, allowing the city two aid payments in the amount of $10 million for its current fiscal year;

A.8374/S.5073, which would have reduced the power of the Buffalo Fiscal Stability Authority (BFSA), despite the BFSA’s important role in restoring the city’s financial health;

A.4166/S.3594, which would have authorized the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) to award $250,000 grants out of its existing funds for shared-use kitchen facilities, though UDC has no way currently to cover this cost;

A.5788/S.2706-A, which would have given the Town of Islip Tax Assessor the ability to change the way in which its property taxes are levied – a power that the Assessor expressly disavowed;

A.6532-B/S.4405-A, which would have obliged the Crime Victims Board to cover transportation costs for basic hearings at which there is no compelling reason for the plaintiff to appear;

A.8581/S.2756, which would have allowed the Highland Falls Central School District to repay State Aid over six years instead of three; and

A.1356A/S.714-A; A.4587-A/S.693; A.4767/S.1796; A.5364-A/S.2230-A; A.7202-A/S.3650-A, which would have allowed local school districts to receive or retain State aid despite the fact that, in each instance, the district violated State bidding or cost reporting requirements.

State Senate Passes Nursing Care Quality Protection Act

Measure Already Approved by Assembly

LATHAM, NY, July 17, 2009 — The New York State Senate has passed the Nursing Care Quality Protection Act, (S3527) which requires healthcare facilities to disclose information about nurse staffing to state regulators and the public. The measure has been a top priority for the New York State Nurses Association.

As the amount of care from registered nurses has a significant impact on patients’ health and safety, consistent documentation is needed to determine staffing patterns in hospitals. Numerous studies have shown that higher nurse staffing is associated with lower rates of infection, cardiac arrest, and other complications.

The bill passed the State Assembly by a unanimous vote earlier this year.

The legislation requires each hospital to report the numbers of RNs and LPNs providing direct care and the ratio of patients to nurses; the number of unlicensed personnel providing direct care; the incidence of adverse patient events such as medication errors and injuries; and the method the hospital uses for determining and adjusting staffing levels.

“Information about nurse staffing is crucial to patients and should be available to them and their families,” said Tina Gerardi, RN, chief executive officer of the Nurses Association. “Nurses across the state are expecting Gov. Paterson to help us protect patients and sign this bill into law.”

Gerardi thanked the state legislature for supporting the bill, especially Assemblyman Richard Gottfried and State Senator Thomas Duane for their work in sponsoring the legislation.

The New York State Nurses Association is the voice for nursing in the Empire State. With more than 36,000 members, it is the state’s largest union and professional association for registered nurses. It supports nurses and nursing practice through education, research, legislative advocacy, and collective bargaining.

Cuts to Special Education and Autism Services Averted for Now

Autism United sponsored a statewide call-in to ask our legislators to spare special education and autism services from budget cuts for the current fiscal year.

We have received reports that legislators phones were ringing all across the state. A staffer in State Senator Andrea Stewart Cousins said to one caller that she had “learned more about autism in one day” than she had in her life so far. Participation by the autism community will be crucial to prevent cuts, and the outpouring of support yesterday lets the legislators know that an organized group of voters care about these issues and is watching.

The legislature convened yesterday in a highly unusual late session requested by Governor David Paterson to address the rapidly growing budget shortfall. The goal was to figure out how to cut $1.5 billion from the state budget. Governor Paterson had proposed taking most of that money from public schools and hospitals. No agreement was reached and a plan to reconvene the legislature again on December 16 appears to have been placed on hold, given the rancor of yesterday’s meeting.

The legislature will reconvene in early January with the newly elected Democratic majority in the Senate. Next year’s budget wrangling promises to be ugly. Analysts are projecting an $8.8 billion shortfall in the budget for the fiscal year that begins on April 1.

Making budgets is a political process and the more people concerned about protecting special education and autism services speak out the less those areas will be cut. Stay tuned and be ready to act, if we don’t fight for the services and education our kids need no one else will. But yesterday’s outpouring of calls was a good indicator that the autism community can and will do what it takes.

Shocker: New Yorkers pay highest power bills in U.S.

by William Sherman

Turn on the lights or broil a burger and it will cost you more here than in any other city in the nation.

Metropolitan area consumers paid 59.1% more for electricity and 34.2% more for natural gas than the U.S. city average last month, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

For example, New Yorkers paid 21 cents a kilowatt hour in June for electricity, while the average of 87 urban areas around the country was 13 cents, bureau data show. For natural gas, measured in therms, New Yorkers paid $1.42 per therm, while the average was $1.06.

Energy experts and utility company officials said the disparity is the norm, actually narrowing a bit from last year.

The relatively higher cost of fuel used by power generating plants, transmission and labor costs, and taxes are the reason for the disparities, they said.

“Power plants in most of the country use coal as fuel, while in New York State, we use more expensive natural gas and oil and only about 13% of generation comes from coal,” said Ken Klapp, spokesman for the New York Independent System Operator, which manages the state power grid.

Sal Graven, spokesman for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, said power delivery costs are higher here because “we’re remotely located from natural gas wells being drilled and you’ve got to deliver that gas to power plants and also to homes.”

Other areas of the nation, like the Pacific Northwest and upstate New York, have access to cheap hydroelectric power, “while we don’t,” said Ed Dumas, spokesman for the Long Island Power Authority.

Chris Olert, spokesman for Con Edison, noted that despite the disparity, the June bills for typical New York City and Westchester residents were 6.2% lower than those of June ’08.

“It was $92.57 last year and $86.85 this June,” he said. “The big difference for us in this area is higher fuel costs for generation and taxes.”