New York News

Thruway Cuts Workforce

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Dave Lucas

Published January 30, 2013 at 6:09 PM EST

The New York State Thruway Authority is planning to layoff 234 of its nearly 3-thousand member staff.

Thruway officials say The layoffs — which would have to follow civil-service laws and union regulations on seniority — would save the authority about $20 million.

The announcement comes just months after Thruway officials, facing a public backlash, scrapped plans to raise truck tolls by 45%.

The Albany Times-Union says employees have been notified and the layoffs are expected to occur “in the coming months”cuts will include both Thruway and Erie Canal employees.

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Dave Lucas

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.

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