In an effort to protest the Governor’s inclusion of furloughs in the latest round of budget extenders, Assemblyman Sam Hoyt is going to be shutting down his offices for one day a week. And also instructing his staff to forgo one day’s pay a week.

Hoyt says this will continue until the Governor stops his furlough of 100 thousand state workers – something he makes clear he disagrees with in a press release he just sent out. (Full release after the jump)

“I have consistently stated my opposition to the Governor’s furlough plan and questioned its legality. But, because I could not in good conscience vote to shut down the state I voted for the emergency expenditure bill. What New York needs is a budget that holds the line on taxes, fees and borrowing. Punishing some public employees won’t pass a budget. Forcing the Legislature to vote for an unconstitutional spending bill won’t pass the budget. We need leadership, not political gamesmanship in order to pass the budget.”

Assemblyman Sam Hoyt Announces Furloughs for His Staff

Announcement Demonstrates Hoyt’s Solidarity with State Workers Affected by the Governor’s Furlough

5/12/10—Assemblyman Sam Hoyt (Buffalo/Grand Island) today announced that he will furlough his Assembly staff one day a week until the Governor’s furlough of state workers has ended.

Hoyt said, “I won’t stand idly by while the Governor engages in political gamesmanship with the lives of ordinary New Yorkers. While I am unable to end the furlough, I will act in solidarity with my fellow public servants whose lives are being disrupted by these shortsighted decisions. I am therefore closing down my office for one day a week and instructing my staff to forgo one day’s pay per week until the furlough of other state workers comes to an end.”

The furlough of state workers proposed by Governor Paterson was part of an emergency expenditure bill that was passed on May 10th. The State Constitution does not allow emergency expenditures to be amended and must therefore be passed as the Governor presents them to the Legislature or not at all. A failure to pass the expenditure without a budget in place would have effectively shut down state government; resulting in possible school and hospital closures, unpaid unemployment benefits and much more.

Hoyt, who has been serving without pay since April 1st, will instruct staff to close down the District and Albany offices beginning Friday, May 14th, and record the day as an unpaid leave day on their time sheets. This one day a week furlough policy will remain in place until the furlough of state employees ends.

“New York’s public employee work force is one of the most committed and hardworking groups of people in the State. By singling out only certain groups of employees the Governor has made ordinary, middle class New Yorkers a pawn in his political operation, meanwhile we’ve learned that at the same time he is giving raises to members of his staff,” said Hoyt. The Governor’s furlough plan did not include any Executive management or temporary employees and none of the Legislative or Judicial staff.

“I have consistently stated my opposition to the Governor’s furlough plan and questioned its legality. But, because I could not in good conscience vote to shut down the state I voted for the emergency expenditure bill. What New York needs is a budget that holds the line on taxes, fees and borrowing. Punishing some public employees won’t pass a budget. Forcing the Legislature to vote for an unconstitutional spending bill won’t pass the budget. We need leadership, not political gamesmanship in order to pass the budget,” concluded Hoyt.

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