OMCE: Here are the Facts

A note about M/Cs being exempt from layoffs: first—this was not a negotiated agreement between the Governor and OMCE, it was presented as a “fait accompli” by the Governor’s staff when they told us they changed their mind and would withhold the M/C salary increases, step increases, longevity payments and merit payments; and second, despite the Governor’s statements, M/C employees will be affected by layoffs, even if their specific position is not targeted for layoff.

M/C employees are not all high paid political appointees (the Governor’s people). The majority of M/C employees are career employees who got their positions through competitive examination.

M/C (confidential) employees in clerical, secretarial and administrative support positions earn salaries generally comparable to their CSEA represented counterparts, while M/C employees in higher grade level ”professional” positions earn salaries generally comparable to PEF represented employees.

M/C employees constitute approximately 5.5% of the state workforce.

M/C employees, by law, are prohibited from engaging in collective bargaining, so don’t have contractual protections that the rest of the workforce enjoys. While M/C salary and other compensation increases are authorized through the M/C Pay Bill, that law also gives the Budget Director the authority to withhold those increases------and withhold the state has repeatedly done to M/C employees. The latest previous example was the withholding of $5 million in November 2008.

OMCE has been involved in meetings and discussions with the Governor, his Executive Chamber and Budget staff since November when he first began calling for concessions from the workforce. OMCE, like PEF and CSEA, said NO to the Governor’s proposals and developed alternative savings proposals that were presented to the Governor.

Many OMCE proposals are similar to the union proposals; reducing the use of contractors and consultants, hiring freeze on political appointees, support for a “millionaire’s” tax, Empire Zone reform, stopping renovations of offices, buying/leasing new furniture, equipment and vehicles for high level staff, etc.

OMCE shares the frustration of PEF and CSEA that the Governor has been unwilling to accept and discuss many of the proposals we all submitted as viable alternatives to his demands. We have continued to talk about our proposals re: reducing contracting out and reducing patronage positions with the Governor’s staff, as well as discussing a new lag payroll proposal as an alternative to layoffs and withholding the salary increases.

We at OMCE are doing everything we can to try to prevent layoffs and to restore the salary and other compensation increases.

Since we don’t have contractual protections we are dependent on the strength of our ideas, litigation when warranted, our members support and our ongoing advocacy to produce results for M/Cs.