Judge Dismisses Paterson's Furlough Proposal

New York, NY —

A federal judge sided with state worker unions today, and against New York Governor David Paterson, when he threw out Gov. Paterson's proposed plan for one-day-a-week furloughs for state workers.

Judge Lawrence Kahn ruled Paterson's furlough proposal would be put permanently on hold and said that the governor's attempt to withhold 4 percent pay raises from unionized workers since April 1 violated the terms of existing union contracts.

Steve Madarasz, a spokesman for the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA), one of the New York's public sector unions, said the judge's ruling upheld the rule of law, and that the governor could not "run roughshod" over workers' rights. "We believe this is a victory not only for our members, and the services that they provide, but also for all New Yorkers," Madarasz said.

In a statement, Gov. Paterson said he was "disappointed" in the ruling, and called on legislative leaders to meet with unions to try to find another way to save money for the cash-strapped state. Paterson did not address the possibility of worker lay offs in his remarks today, although the governor had earlier threatened to cut jobs if his proposals were thrown out in court.