Statement By Senate Majority Leader Malcolm A. Smith Regarding Governor's Agreement With Civil Service Employees Association And Public Employees Federation

During times of economic distress, we must remain committed to the principle of shared sacrifice. The public sector, private enterprise and our government must find ways to cut costs and do more with less. I applaud Governor Paterson and the public employee unions for finding a compromise that reduces the size of government in a responsible way while maintaining our commitment to protect the hundreds of thousands of hard-working employees who make up our state workforce. This is the type of common sense partnership our state needs to protect its workers and rebuild an economy that works for New York.”