(ALBANY) - Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA/AFSCME Local 1000)  Legislative and Political Action Director Fran Turner delivered a message to state lawmakers today that "temporary should mean temporary and not employment that extends for years," as the New York Union continued its fight to end the Paterson Administration's exploitation of temporary workers and undermining of state workers.

The Union recently uncovered more than $62 million tax dollars being used to hire temporary workers through employment agencies in nearly every state agency, despite a state hiring freeze and a staggering fiscal deficit.  More than 12 state agencies and facilities have spent millions on temporary workers hired through temporary service agencies since April 2008, the CSEA maintains. The worst offender is the state Department of Health, CSEA officials said, which has spent more than $13 million taxpayer dollars on temporary services, followed by the State University system at $9 million, Office of General Services at $5.6 million, state Education Department at $4.7 million, Law Department at nearly $3.4 million and the Department of Transportation at more than $3 million.

Testifying at a hearing on the state's use of temporary employees before the New York State Assembly Standing Committee on Governmental Employees, CSEA's Turner said it's time for state agencies to come clean about their real work force needs and that the need for temporary workers be addressed by a pool approach with deployment and retrenchment.

"Over the last twenty years, the State of New York has created a shadow work force made up largely of temporary and provisional employees who have been hired to replace positions left vacant as a result of downsizing and contracting out," said Turner of CSEA/AFSCME Local 1000 - which represents 300,000 state employees, local government and school district employees, and private-sector employees, as well as day-care providers throughout the state.

"Former Governor Pataki and even the current administration have paraded these reductions in the state work force as fiscal savings to the state. However, the facts are that state agency staff shortages have created mandatory overtime problems, an over reliance on temporary and provisional appointments, recruitment and retention problems and safety and quality of service issues throughout state agencies," Turner told lawmakers in Albany.

Temporary workers, who receive no benefits and have no rights, have been used for years to hide the fact that the state work force has been depleted to such an extent that the agencies are no longer able to deliver promised services to the citizens of this state, CSEA's Turner said. What's more, the Paterson Administration is paying a premium for these workers with the bulk of the money going to the temp agencies, the Union charges.

Turner, meanwhile, told lawmakers that CSEA recognizes the fact that state agencies - at times -have assignments that are extremely short in duration and might be better suited for employees who are not permanent.  However, the Union has proposed the creation of a temporary state work force pool that could be used to fill such positions.

Turner said the pool could be used when permanent workers were on vacation, medical leave or other extended absence.  She said it would mitigate the cost of using private companies while ensuring that temporary workers were not being abused with no benefits and less pay than permanent employees.