Cuomo, state union agree on tentative pact

A tentative contract agreement was reached Sunday between New York's second-largest state-employees union and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo that could prevent the layoffs of nearly 3,500 workers.

The executive board of the New York State Public Employees Federation will consider the new four-year contract Monday. If it is approved by the board, the state will delay layoffs to Nov. 4, allowing time for a ratification vote by members, the union said in a statement.

"The changes we were able to obtain under this revised agreement address many of the concerns raised by our members," PEF president Ken Brynien said. "If the agreement is approved by our executive board and ratified by the full membership, the jobs of 3,496 members will be saved."

In a separate statement, Cuomo said the modifications to the contract are revenue-neutral to the state and will achieve the same cost savings as an earlier proposal that was rejected by union members nearly three weeks ago.

"We hope that the leadership as a whole moves for a revote and the membership is governed by the needs of the collective and ratify the contract," Cuomo said. "Simply put, the fate of the members is in the union's hands. It's up to them."

After union members voted down a five-year contract negotiated by their leadership on Sept. 27, layoff slips began going out to the affected workers, giving them notice that they would be terminated as soon as Wednesday.

The rejected contract would have frozen salaries for three years, increased employee health care costs and included unpaid furloughs for members of the PEF, which represents 56,000 professional and technical white-collar workers.

The largest state union, the Civil Service Employees Association, approved similar concessions in August.

Cuomo said those concessions were necessary to save $400 million over five years, including $75 million in savings as part of this year's adopted budget that closed a $10-billion deficit.

The new contract, the union said, provides reimbursement for nine furlough days at the end of the pact. Also, the union said, it enhances the ability of members to use vacation time to offset health-insurance costs.

The contract offers no salary increases in 2011, 2012 or 2013, and a 2 percent bump in 2014.

In Nassau County, 22 union workers were among those targeted for layoffs; in Suffolk County, 144. With Ted Phillips