New York state government salary

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This page describes the compensation, salaries, and benefits that New York's public employees receive from state and local government.

Executive branch salaries

The salary of New York's governor ranks 2nd among U.S. governors' salaries. The average salary earned by U.S. governors is $128,735. The median salary earned by U.S. governors is $129,962.^[2]

Upon taking office on Jan. 1, 2011, Cuomo said that he would cut his pay and that of the lieutenant governor, the governor's secretary, counsel, director of state operations, counselor and chief of staff by 5%.^[3]

Judicial salaries

The salary of New York's chief justice ranks 22nd among U.S. chief justices' salaries. The average salary earned by U.S. chief justices is $155,230. The median salary earned by U.S. chief justices is $151,284.^[4] Justices of the state’s highest-level trial court, the State Supreme Court, earn $136,700. Judges have not received a raise in 12 years and have stated that they have been treated unfairly.^[5]

Legislators' salaries

The base salary for state lawmakers is $1,528.84 per week, which equals $79,500 yearly salary.^[6] Legislators do not receive a per diem.^[6] The Speaker of the Assembly earns an extra $41,500 per year. Approximately half of the state’s legislators hold outside jobs, but state ethics rules do not require lawmakers to specify outside income. When lawmakers failed to pass a state budget for Fiscal Year 2011 by the deadline of April 1, 2010, they were not pay pursuant to state law; the governor, however, is not affected by that law.^[7]

State and local employees

Gov. Cuomo said contracts for 96% of the state workforce are up for renegotiation on April 1, 2011, the first day of fiscal year 2012, and said that he planned to maintain a salary freeze.^[3]

According to 2008 Census data, the state of New York and local governments in the state employed a total of 1,410,211 people.^[8] Of those employees, 1,135,813 were full-time employees receiving a net pay of $5,564,155,250 per month and 274,398 were part-time employees paid $330,929,502 per month.^[8] More than 47% of those employees, or 675,927 employees, were in education or higher education.^[8]

A recent New York Times article said that 131,000 public employees work under the Governor of the state, with 163,000 more workers employed by independent public authorities and agencies.^[9] Those working under the Governor has seen around 25 percent of the staff laid off in the past 20 years.^[9] Meanwhile departments not under the Governor has seen increased growth. The State University of New York has grown by 14 percent, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority by about 5 percent, and the state judiciary has increased by 31.6 over the same period.^[9]

A recent report revealed that 19 of the top 20 earning public salaries in the state were for police and firefighters, who are earning more then $200,000 annually.^[10]

New York custodians have received criticism for having rules like they will only paint 20 percent of walls "to the height of 10 feet," among other policies. School custodial staffers contend that only a small number of custodial engineers take advantage of the policies.^[11]

$100,000 Club

Nearly 24,200 state employees earned more than $100,000 in 2011, down about 2.6 percent compared with 2010, state records show. Eemployees earning more than $200,000 grew from 622 employees in 2010 to 701 employees last year, an increase of nearly 13 percent, according to records from the state Comptroller’s Office. It was the first time since 2004 that the number of people earning more than $100,000 in state government fell. The number had quadrupled between 2000 and 2010, from 5,800 to 24,807. ^[12]

The top earners represented about 13 percent of the state’s 186,000-member workforce — which includes the state university system. ^[13]

Teacher Salaries

The New York Mayor has proposed eliminating 6,000 teacher positions.^[15] The administration had dedicated $2 billion to cover losses in state and federal funding. Despite the plan to eliminate the position, it would have no effect on the current school budget.

According to the New York State Education Department, the median elementary and secondary school classroom teacher salary in the 2008-2009 school year was $65,236, $2,904 more than a year prior. Compared to the 2000-2001 school year, teachers had a median salary of $14,216 less than 2008-2009.^[16]

State employee benefits

Paid days off

Holidays New York state employees receive the following holidays as days off with pay^[17]:

• New Year's Day
• Lincoln's Birthday
• Washington's Birthday
• Memorial Day
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Columbus Day
• Election Day
• Veterans' Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Christmas Day

Vacation Employees are credited with 6 1/2 days vacation upon completion of the required 13 biweekly pay periods. Thereafter, during their second through seventh years they earn vacation credits at the rate of 1/2 day per biweekly pay period. Employees who have completed seven years of creditable State service earn vacation at the rate of 20 days for each 26 biweekly pay periods (1 year). Upon completion of each full year of continuous service, earn vacation "bonus days" based on time in service.^[18]

Sick Leave Full-time employees and those part-time employees working a fixed number of hours five days per week are eligible to earn sick leave.^[19] Full-time employees are credited with sick leave at the rate of 1/2 day for each pay period in which he/she is in full pay status for seven of ten working days, earning up to 13 vacation days/year.^[19]

Employees may not accumulate sick leave credits in excess of 150 days. After reaching this maximum, employees can earn credits only after the balance has been reduced to fewer than 150 days. Sick leave credits which employees would have earned beyond this maximum cannot be credited to them.^[19]

Personal Leave Employees are credited with five days personal leave each year on their anniversary date.^[20]

Insurance

Employees may enroll in the New York State Health Insurance Program. Employees may choose between the Empire Plan and an HMO. Dental and vision insurance may be added by the employee as well.^[21]

Retirement

State employees are members of the Employees' Retirement System (ERS). Employees are required to contribute 3% of their salary.^[22]

If you are an active member and have at least five years of credited service, you are considered vested.^[23]

Under a regular plan, an employee may retire at age 55 with a minimum of 5 years of service. Tier 1 members may retire at age 55 with no benefit reduction. Tier 2, 3 or 4 members with less than 30 years of service credit may retire but their benefit will be reduced by a percentage for each year of retirement prior to age 62.^[24]

Employees may also participate in the state's deferred compensation plan.^[25]

Other benefits

• Flexible Spending Accounts for dependent care expenses or health care expenses.^[26]
• Employee Assistance Program is a peer assistance program jointly sponsored by labor and management. NYS EAP provides confidential information, assessment, and referral services to NYS employees, their family members, and retirees. It also provides orientations and training for all employees, managers, supervisors, and union representatives on benefits and use of EAP.^[27]
• Worksite child care centers are sponsored by the New York State Family Benefits Program.^[28]

Disclosure

• The Journal News' LoHud.com offers this database of public employee salaries in Yonkers. For the article introducing the project, click here.
• The Times Herald-Record offers this analysis of public salaries in the Hudson Valley with a searchable database of payroll records.
• A great resource is See Through NY, a new website offering "New Yorkers a clearer view of how their state and local tax dollars are spent."
• The New York Daily News published an overview in February 2009 of which New York City employees were paid the most overtime: Scores of city government workers racking up six-figure overtime.

Additional reading

• Public employee salary
• See sample transparency legislation at the Sunshine Standard

External links

• SeethroughNY Salary information
• New York State Payroll
• State Budget Solutions, New York
• Scores of city government workers racking up six-figure overtime, New York Daily News

References

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