Andrew Cuomo Could Cut 15,000 State Workers' Jobs

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is considering cutting as many as 15,000 state workers in an effort to shrink the state's $9 billion budget gap.

The workforce reductions would also likely be accompanied by substantial reductions in Medicaid and education spending, according to two people briefed on the budget who spoke with the New York Times.

From the Times:

But the cuts would represent a substantial downsizing of the state's workforce, including clerical workers, state troopers and park rangers. And that belt-tightening would almost certainly be accompanied by noticeable reductions in government services, though it is hard to predict where and how much until Mr. Cuomo releases his proposed budget in early February.

The cuts are likely to be fiercely contested by state labor unions. But so far, union representatives have held their fire until the governor's plan is released.

"We're not going to respond to speculation at this point, said Stephen Madarasz, a spokesman for the Civil Services Employees Association. "When he has a proposal to make, we'll respond to it appropriately. Abstract numbers without any context don't tell us very much."

The job cuts under consideration would be the largest in at least 15 years.

It was unclear how they would be achieved, but they could come through a combination of attrition, early retirement incentives and layoffs.

Cuomo has repeatedly bucked calls for tax increases to help close the budget gap, and has also pushed for a property tax cap.