Suffolk close to lag payroll for elected officials

Suffolk's elected officials would be allowed to subject themselves to the same lag payroll system lawmakers have imposed on county employees under legislation approved in committee Tuesday.

[Jimmy]

Levy and all of his cronnies have all gotten pay raises. Id like to see how much money he will give back.

[AME Scammed Members]

The State came to a quick realization that due to past hiring freezes , attrition early retirements,and unfilled budgeted positions the state is so short of needed mandated workers to supply mandated services they could not lay off workers, making there threats empty and hollow.There Union knew this stayed united and strong and did not give in calling there bluff...Succsess.
The county employees Union AME with gutless Felice also had Suffolk County Exec Levy in the same position with the same reasons as the state leaving Levy unable to carry out any threat. Your union took the easy path and caved in. Suffolk also has insufficient number of employees to fill mandated services as Newsday recently reported ( pointing out Child and welfare services month behind).
There Union blinked forcing there members in taking a 5% pay cut. AME duped there members and they had no say or vote on her decision. Notice the politicians have a vote and a choice,AME members were not even given a choice why? Because there clueless Union leaders,with no real union negotiation experience or credential and there social club inept popularity board of directors took the easy road at your expense.I ask any AME member did your Unit President(Board of Director) hold a unit meeting and ask you the member your thoughts or did they vote leaving the most important people out of the loop, the dues paying member.
Suffolk Workers are represented by LOSERS and it's about time all members confronted there unit president and ask why.
Don't change Unions change leadership.
Ask your Union why NO OTHER SUFFOLK UNION GAVE A THING,do you feel like a sucker you should.

[Chris]

No we as memebers where not confronted nor talked to about the unions decision and i as a single parent think it sucks not only do i have to give two weeks lag but also furlough 2 weeks over the summer do to lack of child care so instead of getting rid of the 300 people (which half arent even needed) i am losing a whole months pay. Furlough should have been an option a lot of people furlough over the summer anyway. Felice is the worst and i dont know what people were thinking when they re-elected her.

[A Suffolk Co Tax Payer]

First of all, kudos to those Legsislators who did not take their 2009 pay increase and shame, shame, shame, on those and any other elected official that did!! Which elected officials are going to voluntarily give up 2 weeks pay? Probably the same ones that didn't take their 2009 increase. AME members didn't have a choice. Let's see who's going to do the right thing?

[concerned on Long Island]

I completely agree with "AME SCAMMED Members" I understand that this was to save jobs which we would ALL like to do.
I would like to add that NO, members were not given a choice, nor did they get the options that the politicians are being given to take a % of their pay. Instead they will not be able to pay a bill or two in July and another couple of bills in December (THE WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS. The other factor is if everyone is giving one week of their pay up, how is it fair that they still have to pay the union dues AND, those employees who are at a higher level than most are giving more because their pay is more. It is just unfair. I know several County employees who are very concerned as to how bills will be paid. While it is understandable that the economy hit us all, we all know that it can be done better. AND, if any legislatures did get pay raises, they should be given up as well. Wouldn't that be FAIR???

[Smithtown taxpayer]

For an elected official to refuse to take a lag is a slap in the face to all union members who are helping to control our current fiscal crisis. The AME and SOA have voluntarily submitted to payroll cuts as asked to do by the legislature. They BETTER jump at the chance to do their part too or election time will get real ugly!!!!!

[Loud pipes save lives]

A true leader leads by example. He should not ask his followers to do something he would not also do when his country is in dire need. Why does the little guy always get the short end of the stick here...are they trying to tell us that we just don't rate? Well, when push comes to shove, it's the county workers that keep the county running. A true Leader would know that and appreciate his followers. This is an election year. Time will tell.

[Duncan]

I think I remember a quote from Beedenbender last year when he decided not to take a pay raise, something like how could he expect his employees to take a pay freeze and not do the same himself. It seems that when they passed that bill to freeze appointee salaries, only four legislators (those listed in the article) were not hypocritical. Get rid of the rest...dump the other 13 (plus the term limited one who is out anyway)

[Jim]

The salary for a very part-time legislator is ludicrous. Lindsay's salary is abolutely obscene. This people should be ashamed of themselves. But, they aren't because they simply have no shame. The best thing that could happen for taxpayers and business owners is if the Suffolk Legislature was abolished and replaced with a weighted board of supervisors.

[Double standard]

Smithtown taxpayer wrote:

For an elected official to refuse to take a lag is a slap in the face to all union members who are helping to control our current fiscal crisis. The AME and SOA have voluntarily submitted to payroll cuts as asked to do by the legislature. They BETTER jump at the chance to do their part too or election time will get real ugly!!!!!

Remember the SOA also got a 35% raise with back pay,that buts them way ahead.If AME recieved that kind of raise they might not mind a 5%lag payroll.
No of any other union giving back
PBA...no
SCCC Facilty....NO
Correction officers.....,also recievecd 35% raise and back pay for a slight on paper only giveback.
Sheriffs....NO
and the rest..NO

[Little bit of info]

Double standard wrote:

<quoted text>
Remember the SOA also got a 35% raise with back pay,that buts them way ahead.If AME recieved that kind of raise they might not mind a 5%lag payroll.
No of any other union giving back
PBA...no
SCCC Facilty....NO
Correction officers.....,also recievecd 35% raise and back pay for a slight on paper only giveback.
Sheriffs....NO
and the rest..NO

Are you sure it was a 35% and not a 3.5% raise?!?!?!

[tothepoint]

Arent the county workers also still without a contract? Legislators should get no raises untill a contract is ironed out.

[LI Alumni]

Double standard wrote:

<quoted text>
Remember the SOA also got a 35% raise with back pay,that buts them way ahead.If AME recieved that kind of raise they might not mind a 5%lag payroll.
No of any other union giving back
PBA...no
SCCC Facilty....NO
Correction officers.....,also recievecd 35% raise and back pay for a slight on paper only giveback.
Sheriffs....NO
and the rest..NO

Please get your facts straight. Bad information only feeds the Steve Levy method of divide and conquer. The SOA, SDA, and PBA have been without a contract since 12/31/07. They have never, in the history of the SCPD, gotten a 35% payraise. The usual contract runs either 2 or 4 years, and for the last number of years have been arbitrated, and have included givebacks in retroactive pay. Think, the outcry from Newsday and the public would be huge if it were to happen. We would be talking about either a yearly increase of 17.5 or 8.75 percent. It never happened and never will happen.

[Please check your facts]

Double standard wrote:

<quoted text>
Remember the SOA also got a 35% raise with back pay,that buts them way ahead.If AME recieved that kind of raise they might not mind a 5%lag payroll.
No of any other union giving back
PBA...no
SCCC Facilty....NO
Correction officers.....,also recievecd 35% raise and back pay for a slight on paper only giveback.
Sheriffs....NO
and the rest..NO

Please know what you are talking about before you post. First of all SCCOA memebers were working without a contract for 6 years when they recieved the first of two awards. The first award was obtained after a long process of abitration in April 2009. The second award was at the bargaining table in May of 2009. Second of all even with the pay increases the members did receive they are still technically working without a contract since the most recent settlement only brings them through to December 31, 2007. As part of the most recent award the members have to hold a portion of their retro pay until they stop working for the county.It was not a 35% increase but a 3.5% raise per year for two years on the most recent contract. Mr. Levy awards himself an increase of 3.9% each year. It was no free ride or "slight of paper" for any union that gave back money after being threatened with layoff notices. It is only fair that since Mr. Levy has said in the past that we ALL have to learn to do more with less it's time for ALL county employees including legislation do what Mr. Levy asked the union employees to do and that is to give up part of their salaries for the sake of this county.

[John]

The fact of the matter is that the cost of running Federal, State, and Local governments is too expensive and it has been this way for many years. Costs have to come down, either by layoffs (with loss of services) or by salary decreases. The private sector cannot afford it. And this includes police, civil service and education. Teachers are paid a full year's salary for a perttime job.

[oh well]

good plan