New Yorkers for Growth "Waste Watchers" #4

Niagara Falls Schools Superintendent Gets A+ in Sweetening his Pension

Through Budget Loopholes

The Buffalo area, already home of the state's best looking teachers; also has one of New York's shrewdest pension manipulators, according to a recent article in the Buffalo News.

School superintendents do not have overtime provisions in their contract. Therefore, they cannot add overtime pay to their last three years of employment, which is averaged to determine annual pension payouts.

Instead, the superintendent of the Niagara Falls School District did the next best thing: he cashed out his copious sick and vacation days during his last three years of employment. His inflated salary during his final years at the school district then were averaged produce an annual pension payout almost $20,000.00 larger than his real yearly average salary that takes into account all of his years of employment, not just the final three. 

While he gets an A+ for manipulating the system, New York State government gets an F for allowing obvious manipulation of the system while leaving taxpayers with the bill.

New Yorkers for Growth "Waste Watchers" #3  

CACHING $$$

That's the Sound of the Man Working on the Train 

MTA Salaries Increase as Service is Cut

According to a startling, but unfortunately not surprising report by the Empire Center for New York State Policy, over 8,000 MTA employees earned over $100,000.00 last year. And salaries are rising!

The MTA is cutting service, ridership is down because of sky high unemployment and the City and State are struggling to cover billions of dollars in debt obligations, but MTA employees continue to ride the train right to the bank! What a waste! 

New Yorkers for Growth "Waste Watchers" #2  

The Real Boob Job

Teachers Union Enhance their Own Lives while

Reducing Others to the Unemployment Line

  Buffalo taxpayers struggle to pay for their own health-related expenses every day. 

However, those fortunate enough to belong to the powerful Buffalo Teacher's Union have platinum-plated health insurance coverage that includes elective plastic surgery, courtesy of Buffalo taxpayers.  

It gets worse. Faced with a $34 million budget deficit, the Teacher's Union had a choice: give up the cosmetic surgery provision and agree to pay 20% of their health insurance premiums or protect hundreds of young teachers whose jobs would be cut to close the budget gap.

The Teacher's Union chose the scalpel - the medical one that is - cosmetic surgery for the old guard and job cuts for the young. What a waste!

You can read more about this issue in the Buffalo News.  

To bring issues like this to the forefront by supporting and contributing to New Yorkers for Growth at www.newyorkersforgrowth.com.

To report examples of waste in your community email Nick Terzulli at NickTerzulli@NewYorkersforGrowth.com.

New Yorkers for Growth "Waste Watchers" #1  

Car Troubles

Public Union Workers Ride State Labor Rules on Taxpayers Dime

Common Sense Budgetary Decisions Hamstrung by Albany Rules

Attempting to deal with budget difficulties, Town of Islip Supervisor Phillip Nolan (D) decided that the Town could no longer afford to allow 45 public employees to take town-owned cars home overnight. Seems like a pretty reasonable management decision to save taxpayer money except for one thing: the state's infamous labor rules which subject even the most picayune matters into affairs of state. 

Local 237 of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters union appealed this management decision to the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) claiming it was  a “change of working conditions", which had to negotiated with the unions.  Of course, the rule of New York labor negotiations is that labor never gives up anything, regardless of financial conditions, unless they are "given" something else. The PERB, citing precedent, held that even so modest and reasonable a management decision as not allowing town employees to take town-owned vehicles home at night, had to be negotiated with the union. You can find a link to the PERB ruling here.

So folks, there you have it:  another real life example, in New York labor relations.  The unions pay scrupulous attention to all these rules, precedents and decisions, and no matter how unreasonable or uneconomic, the rules must be defended. The taxpayers are generally oblivious, except when they pay their property taxes, and then they wonder "why does it cost so much to live here"? The Islip case presents a small but telling example of why New York State has run off the rails.   The unions win and taxpayers lose.  And all enabled by state law, enacted by generations of legislatures and governors of both parties, which now only succeeds in driving productive citizens and businesses out of the State. 

Meanwhile, Islip's taxpayers, struggling to pay their own bills, are still paying for an unnecessary perk for local government workers. What a Waste! 

Please help us continue to bring issues like this to the forefront by supporting and contributing to New Yorkers for Growth.

Program set to highlight Albany fiscal mismanagement

New York, NY - New York's premier fiscal conservative political action committee, New Yorkers for Growth, launched a new initiative today that will highlight Albany's fiscal waste and budgetary embarrassments through a series of email press releases.

"Hardworking New Yorkers are doing their part during this recession; saving and scrimping. New Yorkers for Growth demands the same level of responsibility from their elected officials, said New Yorkers for Growth spokesperson Liz Feld. "Instead of cutting waste and duplicity, Albany politicians continue to give in to public sector unions and special interests demand and taxpayers have to foot the bill. We've had enough!"

The Waste Watcher campaign will unveil snapshots of government waste throughout New York. Using a multifaceted media platform, New Yorkers for Growth will highlight the waste through their website, blog, media advisories, and emails to their list of thousands of frustrated New Yorkers. Finding examples of waste from local news outlets, this campaign will showcase specific bloated public sector union contracts, concessions and pensions, wasteful pork-barrel spending and Albany's general inability to be fiscally responsible, even in the midst of the greatest recession of our generation.

For more information on New Yorkers for Growth and Waste Watchers, please visit www.newyorkersforgrowth.com.