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Paid holidays linked to low-wage era
Marv Cermak

Tony Buonome, a regular at Schenectady City Council meetings, isn't alone when he wonders how come public-sector employees enjoyed the luxury of multiple paid holidays in November.

"I don't understand why the city workers get all these holidays in a single month," Buonome said to council. "Who really needs Election Day off?"

The workers are also off on Veterans Day and Thanksgiving.

Buonome poses a legitimate question seeing how Thanksgiving is the only November holiday granted to most private-sector employees.

I recall when Schenectady officials doled out two of the paid holidays. The Thanksgiving holiday was in place before I started writing. Past city elected officials authorized the added holidays back when public employee wages were low.

Also because of the poor pay scale, the folks elected to guard the city treasury gave workers super lifetime health coverage and generous pensions.

Over time the wages and the benefit costs got out of control.

The employees deserve the best, but unfortunately layoff talks by state and local governments and school districts emphasize their cost is not sustainable.



Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/AspS.....Page=2#ixzz0YRY8FrOq

NYS can not sustain its present budget of government tax paid employees with wages and life long benefits and the days off allowed. People in the private sector are becoming weary of the high taxation to say the least. People are packing up and moving out. And understandably so.

Now the state is broke and there isn't one politician that will cut 'anything' for fear of a loss in the next election. What makes them sosure that they will lose by doing the 'right thing'? Someone is going to have to bite the bullet and put their political career on the line and cut spending. Otherwise, even more people will be moving out and more blood sucking welfare recipients will keep venturing in.

I say....if they DON'T cut spending.....VOTE THEM ALL OUT!!!! Dem or rep!

GET OFF MY BACK.....and get to work.......

I cant afford you and you cant afford me.......no one said life was easy.....but in Schenectady life is all about stealing, if you are connected........
and getting something for nothing,,,,,,,,,

stand in line at welfare or stand in line for your paycheck with multiple paid holidays off and multiple paid sick/vacation days off......hhhhmmmm