Major changes at Thruway Authority Traffic moves along the New York State Thruway recently in Albany. ALBANY — CSEA members at the New York State Thruway Authority are experiencing a challenging work environment. The Authority is undergoing significant administrative and structural changes along with increasing financial pressure. Hanging in the balance are prolonged contract negotiations that have dragged on for two years. New leadership is coming into the Authority, although the authority’s outside negotiator, Joseph Bress, remains at the table. New leadership Howard P. Milstein, chair of the Thruway Authority’s Board of Directors, resigned in early December. At the end of December, Thruway Authority Executive Director Thomas J. Madison and Chief Operating Office and Chief Financial Officer John M. Bryan unexpectedly resigned. Madison was appointed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2011, and Cuomo under Cuomo’s direction, is building a recently appointed state Office of replacement for the vital Tappan Zee Management and Budget Director Robert Bridge, which carries the Thruway Megna as acting executive director over the Hudson River between Nyack following Madison’s departure. and Tarrytown, an immense span that Megna has a long history in state experiences some of the heaviest traffic government, and was widely regarded as in the state every day. an effective budget director during his tenure. New bridge costs His experience at the Office of Cost estimates for the new bridge Management and Budget will likely be are at $3.9 billion, but the governor has called upon, as a $36 million dollar vowed not to raise Thruway tolls to budget deficit has been projected for pay for the bridge. The bridge is badly the authority in 2015. A separate report needed as the current bridge’s structural from a consultant hired by the Thruway integrity has long been a concern. Authority warned of that decreasing toll The bridge was built in the 1950s. revenues in 2015 could result in a greater The authority’s proposed budget for deficit. The deficit comes as the authority, 10 The Work Force February 2015 2015 is $2 billion. Tolls accounted for an estimated $658 million in revenue for the authority in 2014, when the cost of State Police patrols on the Thruway was shifted, saving the authority $85 million. Meanwhile, there have been media reports that the state inspector general has been compiling a report regarding the authority’s operations, but there has been no official confirmation of either a report or investigation. Contract negotiations CSEA-represented employees at the authority saw their contract expire in June 2012, along with CSEA workers at the at the state Canal Corp., which is
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