The Nassau County Legislature has voted to approve a plan that will offer early retirement incentives to full-time civil service employees.

The move comes as the county looks to slash its labor costs. Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos is expected to release his mid-year financial report tomorrow, and News 12 has learned that it will outline a $35 million shortfall in sales tax revenue.

"We certainly feel picked on," says CSEA Union President Jerry Laricchuita, who represents the 4,000 CSEA workers who are being offered the deal. He says full-time workers who take the deal would get $1,000 for every year of service with the county.

Laricchuita expects about 100 employees to take the incentive. But he says he'll be upset if the county decides not to replace those employees with new ones, because his workers are already stretched thin. "This is going to be tough," he says. "We are working short in every department, and everything that used to take a day takes two or three."

County officials say the incentives will save the county about $12 million by encouraging higher paid workers to retire.

NIFA, the fiscal watchdog charged with overseeing Nassau's finances, still must approve the early retirement plan. Once approved, CSEA workers would have until Sept. 15 to submit resignation letters for early retirement.

Sept. 15 is the same day that Ed Mangano must submit his new county budget.