State Democrats promised to meet with union officials—only if the labor leaders forked over $50,000 in donations first. In a letter sent to labor groups as Senators considered budget cuts that could have major ramifications for unions, state Sen. Jeff Klein (D-Bronx) offered to sell $50,000 "chairmanships" of a "Labor Advisory Council" that would give union honchos "the unique opportunity to advise the Senate Dems" as well as "an exclusive meeting with the Senate majority leaders," the Post reports. more ›

Get ready for some Albany-style bickering! Tomorrow, Governor Paterson will convene a special session of the Legislature to discussion issues like the $3 billion budget deficit and—possibly—gay marriage, but the NY Times is worried enough that it has an editorial, "Albany’s toughest and most important job right now is to make certain that New York does not become another California, running out of cash, paying bills with i.o.u.’s and watching state credit ratings deteriorate." more ›

NY State Senate Democrats have finally offered their thoughts on how to help out the MTA—and mass transit commuters who otherwise will face significant service cuts and fare hikes. PolitickerNY sums up the plan's features: "A $1 surcharge on taxi rides in the 12 counties served by the M.T.A., raising $190 million; a sliding payroll tax on all businesses within that region, raising $1.49 billion; a $25 fee on motor vehicle registration, raising $130 million; a 25 percent increase on the fee to obtain a drivers license, raising $10.5 million; an eight percent increase on fares; and an increase in tax on rental cars, raising $35 million." (An 8% subway and bus fare increase would be preferable to a 25-30% fare hike.) more ›

NY1 has an exclusive report on "three dozen aides of state senators whose salaries noticeably grew over the past three months." Senate Democrats won the majority for the first time in over years and are paying accordingly: Nassau Sen. Craig Johnson's chief of staff's "salary climbed 63 percent, from $47,500 in 2008 to $77,500 this year" while Bronx Sen. Jeff Klein's chief of staff "saw his wages grow by 36 percent, from $55,000 in 2008 to $75,000 this year. Four other people in Klein's office saw salary increases, but their positions stayed the same." Now in the majority, Senate Dems have more responsibilities—Klein is the deputy majority leader—and Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith tells NY1, "Remember, staff don't get paid for a Saturday and Sunday and overtime. So even a salary bump, if you had to pay them by the hour, they're being paid a whole lot less than what they're worth in terms of the time that they're putting in." And it's payback from the days of the Brunomobile. more ›

The NY Times has a hilariously depressing feature about the perks State Senate Democrats have discovered ever since taking control from the Republicans. It's hilarious because there are quotes like “I don’t believe they ever gave us the password that shut down the waterfall to enter the cave leading into the studio" (from Senator Craig Johnson's spokesman Rich Azzopradi, referring to the Long Island TV studio facility for Republicans to film their videos). And it's depressing because they found a vehicle now dubbed the "Brunomobile"—"$50,000 specially outfitted GMC van, with six leather captain’s chairs (some swiveling), a navigation system, rearview camera and meeting table." more ›