New York court system to lay-off up to 500 employees: union

[The Northerner]

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The New York State court system will lay-off as many as 500 workers in the coming weeks, according to a union memo released on Friday, as the state works to close a $10 billion budget gap.

New York state lawmakers recently passed a spending plan for fiscal year 2012 that includes across-the-board cuts to state agencies.

New York is not alone. Many cash-strapped states across the United States have been firing workers, delaying big building projects and raising taxes after the 2008 recession and financial crisis left state coffers severely depleted.

David Bookstaver, a spokesman for the court system, confirmed that layoffs are in the works but said it's too early to tell how many jobs -- or which ones -- will be lost.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110415/us_nm/us_newyork_courts_layoffs