The chairman of the Nassau Interim Finance Authority proposed lifting the county's three-year-old wage freeze Wednesday evening.

NIFA chairman Jon Kaiman said the wage freeze could end if unions were willing to forego their 2011 and 2012 step and cost of living salary increases. As outlined in his four-page proposal, workers would be able to salvage their 2013 raise and the freeze would be lifted for future years.

Kaiman says the proposal would ensure that the county would remain fiscally solvent, while workers would finally be out of a three-year holding pattern. 

The response by unions to the proposal has been lukewarm.

"We have had ongoing talks with NIFA in an effort to reinstate wages," said Nassau PBA President James Carver. "We will continue to sit down with Mr. Kaiman and discuss the proposal he has sent out, with the goal of agreeing to a settlement that makes sense for both the county and the members I represent." 

Several of the unions representing county workers have been battling the wage freeze in court. Kaiman hopes that a deal would end the costly litigation.

County Executive Ed Mangano's office did not return a call to comment about the proposal.