Letter: State workers, nothing to lose

As Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo continues his negotiations with the Public Employees Federation, what is not taken into account is that the majority of the members have nothing to lose by voting against the new contract ["A key union vote for LI families," News, Oct. 21]. The reason is the Triborough Amendment of the Taylor Law.

Passed in 1982, this amendment prohibits a public employer from altering any provision of an expired labor agreement until a new agreement is reached. As a result, the PEF members know that they can avoid financial sacrifices simply by voting no.

At the cost of the jobs of 3,500 employees, the remaining 94 percent will keep their jobs and not have to endure any unpaid furloughs or higher insurance premiums, while at the same time some may collect annual longevity, or "step," raises.

This amendment gives the governor very little leverage in attempting to extract givebacks from the unions, because the negotiations can continue endlessly with virtually no cuts in spending and an ever-increasing burden on the taxpayer.