More than 260 Nassau workers get pink slips

The budget ax fell today on Nassau's Departments of Social Services, Public Works and Probation, leaving more than 260 employees out of work and more than 100 others demoted.
"While it pains me to see anyone lose their job, I informed Nassau's unions months ago that layoffs would occur if they did not provide the concessions needed to protect residents from a tax hike and live within the dollars provided to us for the 2012 budget," County Executive Ed Mangano (R-Nassau) said in a statement today.
CSEA President Jerry Larrichuitta says he tried making concessions, but the county was asking for too much. He adds that a small tax increase could have prevented the mass layoffs.
More than 100 CSEA workers accepted an early retirement offer. The head of the union is hoping that it could open up enough positions so that some of the workers who were laid off might be rehired.
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