PEF, managers petition governor to expand $20,000 severance list

By RICK KARLIN, Capitol bureau

ALBANY — A major state employee union and a group representing managers have an unusual request for Gov. David Paterson: Let our people go.

Dissatisfied at the number of $20,000 severance packages granted to their members, the Public Employees Federation plans to send Paterson a list of more than 400 members who wanted to take the buyout, but were turned down.

“We’re going to get those names and go right to the governor,” said PEF spokeswoman Darcy Wells.

Another 35 names are coming from the ranks of Management/Confidential employees who want the buyout. “We’ve done the same thing,” said Joseph Sano of the Management Confidential organization. “We’re getting the names right now.”

The list-building is the latest development in Paterson’s effort to save money by trimming the state work force — an initiative that has so far fallen short of predictions.

It’s another lesson in just how hard it can be to cut the state payroll, at least without resorting to layoffs.

The positions held by workers who receive the buyouts won’t be replaced, a stipulation that according to insiders makes state agency managers hesitant to give the package to many who want it.

“These positions are basically being earmarked (for elimination),” Sano said.

The initially tepid response by state agencies raises questions about how much control Paterson, eager to maximize savings from the buyouts, is able to exert over his commissioners — even though he has the ability to hire and fire them.

In April, former Education Commissioner Richard Mills assured employees at the Education Department they would only lose 71 jobs, although Paterson’s Budget Division had initially called for 199 positions to be eliminated. (While the education commissioner is actually hired by the Board of Regents, the governor must still approve his budget.)

That was at a time when the governor was talking about layoffs — a scenario he avoided with the alternative plan for buyouts. The Education Department is now on track to lose 98 jobs through buyouts and attrition.

When the one-time buyout plan was first announced over the summer, the Paterson Administration said it expected 4,500 people would take the offer. But earlier this month, the governor’s Budget Division announced that state agencies had authorized 1,089 people for the buyouts. It was initially unknown how many people had applied.

Because another 2,633 state jobs will be eliminated through attrition and unfilled vacancies, the Paterson administration says it is still on track to reach the goal of saving $260.3 million over two years.

The other major union participating in the program, the Civil Service Employees Association, wasn’t planning to present names to the governor, spokesman Stephen Madarasz said.

“I don’t know that that’s something we’re gong to wade into,” he said. The union, Madarasz added, was focused on making sure state agencies continue to have adequate staffing.

Many CSEA employees, including direct-care workers in mental health facilities, have been excluded from the buyout because they are classified as crucial to their agency’s mission. About a third of CSEA’s state membership is involved in some form of direct care, Madarasz said.

Workers such as nurses, prison guards and those whose roles impact safety or security are excluded as well. In terms of the $20,000 buyout, many of the workers find themselves in something of a paradox: relatively low-paid, but still too crucial to be given up by their employer.

Meanwhile, higher-grade workers who earn more money but might not be as critical to their agencies can put in for the buyouts.

One CSEA member — who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to her fear of angering her supervisors — said she works in a mid-range clerical job, but one which is needed for the functioning of her particular unit.

She was denied a buyout, although she knows of a deputy commissioner and another executive who are likely to get the package — a payout she said was tantamount to a retirement gift.

Because those taking the buyout would have to give up the money if they returned to state service within five years, it’s more attractive to people who are eligible for retirement.

Despite these concerns, observers say the fact that the bought-out jobs are slated for elimination suggests that Paterson is serious about trimming the state work force.

During many previous budget pinches, the state offered retirement incentives to cut payroll, but many of those jobs were later refilled.

“I see a lot more control on it this time around,” Sano said.