Union loses bid to stop Westchester County layoffs

[Omaha Steve]

http://newyork.newsday.com/westchester/union-loses-bid-to-stop-westchester-county-layoffs-1.4391781

Originally published: December 31, 2012 11:48 AM
Updated: December 31, 2012 4:35 PM
By JOHN DYER [e-mail]

Photo: http://cdn.newsday.com/polopoly_fs/1.4223627.1356973028!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/display_600/image.jpg
Photo credit: Faye Murman | Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino announces the 2013 County Budget during a news conference in White Plains. (Nov. 14, 2012)

A State Supreme Court judge on Monday turned down a request from Westchester County's largest labor union for a temporary restraining order to stop County Executive Rob Astorino from laying off 72 workers at the end of the day.

Judge Nicholas Colabella in White Plains nixed the request from the Civil Service Employees Association without providing a written explanation.

Colabella's ruling allows for the county's layoffs to take effect at the end of the workday on Monday.

The decision was a victory for Astorino, a Republican, who earlier in December signed a $1.7 billion budget for 2013 that called for the layoffs. When Astorino unveiled his proposed budget in November, he said the union could avoid layoffs if it agreed to pay for health care its members now receive for free. The union claims to have offered to pay health premiums but not enough to satisfy Astorino.

FULL story at link.