Judge blocks Paterson furlough move

ALBANY - A federal judge Wednesday blocked temporarily the furloughing of 100,000 unionized state employees, which was set to begin Monday.

U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence E. Kahn said four state-employee unions had demonstrated the one-day-per-week furlough with no pay constitutes "irreparable harm." He said the furlough plan should be suspended until arguments can be heard.

Kahn blocked Gov. David A. Paterson from including furloughs in future emergency spending bills required to keep state government operating in the absence of a new budget. The judge also said the workers' 4 percent wage increase could no longer be withheld.

However, Kahn did not grant the unions' request that the state make payments to benefit programs, withheld since April 1.

The judge ordered the parties to submit additional legal briefs by May 19 and set a hearing date of May 26.

Paterson said he hoped the attorney general would prevail at the hearing. The governor said the restraining order means no government offices will be closed next week, though some agencies had planned to shut down on May 21.

Earlier Wednesday, responding to criticism from state employee unions, Paterson rescinded the pay increases given recently to five members of his staff.

"We aren't going to let this be a distraction," said Paterson spokesman Morgan Hook. He added that the staff members, four of whom work for him, would keep their new job titles but forgo the wage hikes.

"They agree with the governor that the public employee unions should agree to give back their raises or agree to the [one week's] lag pay," Hook said.

Union leaders, battling the furlough plan set to start Monday, seized on the promotion of Paterson aides as a double standard by the governor.

The aides' raises ranged from $5,000 to $10,000 per year and were linked with promotions. Four of the five staffers work in the press office.

Hook said the individuals were doing work that had been performed by more highly paid people, who have since left the administration. Hook also said the press office's total compensation had dropped by $300,000 per year.