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SAVE IN EXCESS OF

$60 MILLION ANNUALLY


THROUGH SCHEDULING STATE WORK FORCE

It is obvious our State as well as Federal governments are in extreme fiscal kayos. It is time for
serious perhaps “out of the box” changes to be made to allow governments to increase their
services to taxpayers while simultaneously increasing efficiency and lowering expenditures and
costs to provide these services.

In my opinion there exists many attempts presently being implicated and projected to be put into
place to accomplish this; however these plans atleast the ones I am familiar with fail miserably in
attaining this goal and actual add costs in the long term through penalties, legal fees and interest
charges to the State.

For example the latest proposal of furloughing up to 100,000 state workers although on the
surface will save 30 some million dollars the actual cost of doing this will be three fold down the
road through legal costs, damages and most detrimental of all reducing disposable income by 20
percent and increase hardships for many through foreclosure, bankruptcy and eviction process as
20 percent will cause many state workers not to be able to meet their financial obligations.
It is the job and responsibility of elected officials as well as tax payers and unions to change
the way government does business to be able to lower costs for the long term and increase
productivity and services to taxpayers.

How could this happen… Let’s look “outside the box.”

1. Change government office schedules such as DMV, DSS, DOL, DEC, ect that provide
services to the public to a four day 9.5 hour schedule. The offices that are within 30
miles of each other would be off on opposite days one Friday and one Monday. The key
to maximizing savings is to have the entire office closed on these to capture the savings
on security, maintenance and utilities ect.
The benefits to the State: a. Up to 20% lower operating costs for these offices.
b. Stimulation of economy by not reducing disposable income
of 100,000 employees and by enabling 3 day weekends to
promote the tourism, entertainment, restaurant ect industries in
the private sector.
c. If need arises employees could be required to work
additional 4 hours/week before being eligible for overtime
d. Increased productivity through decreasing start-up shut down
and break time by 20%

Taxpayer: a. increased access to government agencies w/o missing work.


b. Lower taxpayer burden for increased government services.
c. less congestion and commute times in metropolitan areas

Employee: a. 20% lower commuting costs


b. increased quality of life with more time available for family
2. Change State Administrative office schedules such as DOB, OSC, to a 9.5 four day week
and reap 20% operating costs savings while stimulating private sector businesses with
additional days of of union and MC workers with increased disposable income through
lower commuting costs ect for employees.

3. Change DOT and Throughway Authority to four 9.5 hour days for 20% reduction in
operating, travel, start-up shut-down time still addition 4 hours needed before overtime
kicked in for busy seasons. This would benefit taxpayers through savings as well as less
congested travel on holidays and busy vacation weekends.

By taking actual operating costs for our Regional office building and multiplying the year round
savings by the number of state offices state wide I accurately estimate a savings in excess of
$5 million per month statewide year after year even higher numbers when you
include the increased stimulation from increased disposable income
promoting consumer spending and increased tax revenues generated through
that consumer spending.
I agree that this will take enormous efforts from Elected Officials, Employees, Unions, and the
tax payer but given the cost reductions, increased productivity and services to the public I believe
it is the only real savings procedure that has no end and does not get negated through increased
legal costs, decreased productivity or decreased services by the government to the taxpayers.

The sacrifices will be: All M/C and Unionized Employees work slightly longer days.

The benefits:
Annual operating savings in excess of $60 million for equal
or greater government services to the public.

Stimulus of economy through increased disposable income.

Decreased penalties and interests the state pays annually when sectors
of government are unable to make contractual payments and even utilities
required due to untimely development and implementation of the State
budget

20% reduction in State Automobile travel commutes to/from site locations

Energy Conservation and Greener operation of Government


operations.

This only works if offices are shut down completely one day a week as they are presently on
weekends and thermostats are automatically programmed to maximize economy during shut
down periods and lights and equipment are automatically turned off instead of lighting up our
city skylines 24/7 as they presently do.
Most anyone could see the extreme fiscal benefits of these simple scheduling changes. The
biggest problem I see is our elected officials and union leaders willing to adapt this type of
change without attaching ridiculous additional special interest legislation to it causing it not to
pass or reducing or possibly eliminating the saving this type of change would generate year after
year if it were voted on and implemented by itself with no attachments.

I realize there exists many agencies that would be affected by these changes but I believe it’s
worth the effort to hammer out what it will take to be sure these changes are implemented state
wide.

Although agencies like Corrections, State Police Nursing Homes, Hospitals ect could not
conform to this type of savings program their administrative offices in Albany and possibly some
of their maintenance and administrative departments in most Facilities certainly could if
scheduled correctly.

Keep in mind this plan keeps all yearly salaries at their present levels (increase adjustments
would need to be made for hourly employees) as well as present and future contracted raises
would take place; a change would need to be made for accruals and charges of holiday, personal
and vacation hours reflecting the four 9.5 hour work days. Over time would start after 40 hrs for
those who are eligible and non-comp OT accrual for time worked between 38 and 40 hrs just as
PEF presently gets now.

This is obviously a very rough draft but the savings are real and our legislatures should be
putting plans similar to this one into action without tying special interests to it taking away its
effectiveness.

If they fail us they should lose their Jobs; just as when we fail at our jobs we
are replaced.

We must remove anyone responsible for administering our State Government


that does not perform up to par.

This is done in November…and we must not continue to employ elected


officials that fail at their jobs time and time again.

FACT: The taxpayer dollars lost in April and May each year for penalties
and interest on contracts, utilities and services which go unpaid by the
state to their vendors due to the budget not being in place in a timely
manner exceeds most cuts made to any years budget !!!

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