Focus on public workers' pensions, insurance

[Joanne98]

As a taxpayer, Dominic Ciaramella is strongly in favor of the 2-percent property tax cap that was a cornerstone of Andrew Cuomo's campaign for governor.

"You've got to stop the process of taxes going higher and higher and higher - and who's giving you higher and higher and higher? Your school districts," said the retired Hicksville school district custodian, who sees almost half his $18,000 disability pension eaten up by the taxes on his Levittown home.

But as president of Nassau's Civil Service Employees Association Local 919 of retired government workers, Ciaramella says his members are anxious at the way New York's fiscal mess is casting new scrutiny on the cost of the retiree health insurance and other benefits they earned in civil service. "They're very, very much frightened - they tremble," said Ciaramella."

They're called fringe benefits, but the generous health insurance and pensions of New York's public employees have taken center stage as Andrew Cuomo takes office with a $9.3 billion deficit that only looks to get worse in years to come.

http://www.newsday.com/long-island/politics/focus-on-public-workers-pensions-insurance-1.2569302

[Monique1]

1. The samething is happeninng in Az

There needs to be changes in the pension plan but a big but - who are they going to affect, the double dippers or those in the middle class expecting to have a retirement pension? There are elected government officials who retire receiving more in retirement the plan than they received in salary. Some retire and work at jobs within the system making the same salary as before but not paying into the system - this should be changed.

I do collect from the pension but make way less than before retirement.

[OHdem10]

2. This is happening through out the country. Pensions and Medicaid

are in the bull's eye for cuts.

[Historic NY]

3. focus should go on the politicians that double & triple dip on our dime.

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101216/NEWS/12160329

there was a letter this morning in the paper that 11 others did the same thing retired one day and were sworn in the next. The writer stated that 25 state employees could have kept their jobs if these elected officials didn't double dip.

[Omaha Steve]

4. Over a dozen states want to change public worker laws

One common theme is to limit raises to 2% a year. Also that arbitration boards consider the ability of the government division to pay wage and benefit increases without a tax increase.