NY1′s Erin Billups caught up with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver to get his thoughts on the Governor’s furlough proposal, which he sent to the legislature earlier today. Silver says he’s uncertain as to whether the Governor or the legislature has the power to enforce furloughs on the state workforce.  Here’s what he had to say:

(Video of Silver’s comments is after the jump.)

“The Governor is the manager of the state workforce.  He has absolute control of the state workforce.  It’s clear that he does as far as that.  If he doesn’t have the authority on the furloughs, a legislature doesn’t have the authority either to give to him.”

When asked whether it even matters if the legislature passes the Governor’s bill, Silver had this to say:

“There’s some outstanding contract, there’s some case law that indicates it would be contrary to the contract and therefore not legal. The legislature doesn’t provide that era of legality to that which is illegal. California furloughs were tried. The state was ordered to pay, back pay to those people that were furloughed. I don’t think we want to get into that position here. But clearly the governor is the manager of the state workforce.”

State employee unions CSEA and PEF are vehemently against the Governor’s furlough plan and contend the Governor lacks the legal authority to force the issue.

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