Paterson vetoes benefits bill for police, firefighters -- Newsday.com

Paterson vetoes benefits bill for police, firefighters -- Newsday.com

Unions had mixed reactions Thursday to the governor's surprising veto of a bill that would have extended retirement benefits for new police and firefighters.

Some union officials said Gov. David A. Paterson's action has stripped fire and police departments of a key recruiting tool. Attracting new hires will be more difficult without generous retirement benefits, they said.

"It will make police work in New York State less desirable than other states," said Jeff Frayler, president of the Suffolk County Police Benevolent Association.

Jim Slevin, vice president of the city's Uniformed Firefighters' Association, agreed that Paterson weakened future recruiting efforts.



"Every time we negotiate a contract, you factor it in," Slevin said. "When someone signs up for this job, they are not only looking at the salary, they are looking at the benefits."

But some union officials said it's too early to gauge the impact the veto would have, saying there's a chance lawmakers could override him.

The bill would have entitled police and firefighters hired after July 1 to be eligible for more generous Tier II retirement benefits, a level shut out to most public workers for more than 30 years, according to The Associated Press.

The officials said the veto won't immediately hamper recruiting goals at most police and fire departments. In response to the national fiscal crisis, many agencies statewide have already instituted hiring freezes, they said.

On Wednesday, Paterson vetoed the bill that had been routinely extended every year since 1981. It was unclear exactly how much money would be saved, but the measure is part of Paterson's planned overhaul of the public employee pension system.

Paterson asked lawmakers to adopt a new pension benefit plan that he said would save at least $48 billion over the next three decades.

The plan would, among other things, increase the retirement age and minimum years of service to get benefits to help shave costs.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg supports Paterson's veto and the new plan, which the mayor said is needed to help trim the $6.6-billion budget deficit the city is facing in fiscal year 2010.

"The city and state have been buried by exponential growth in pension costs," Bloomberg said in a statement.

Thursday, Paterson said firefighters and police deserve the best pension benefits possible, but "we don't have any money."

Majority leader Sen. Malcolm Smith said Thursday he supports Paterson's veto, and any discussion of an override will take place in conference, a spokesman for Smith said.