Clawback political contributions

There has been a lot of talk about clawbacks for people who received money from Bernard Madoff. I think that we should clawback some of his political contributions. Specifically the $25,000 contribution to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Scroll through his list of contributions.... you'll see Chuckie Schumer's name A LOT. About 90% of Madoff's political buddies are Dems. This guy was handing out political contributions like Mike Hein hands out $100,000 Deputy County Executive positions. Must be nice to be a Dem.

Contributor	Candidate or PAC	Amount	Date	FEC Filing
MADOFF, BERNARD L NEW YORK, NY 10022 BERNARD L. MADOFF INVEST.-SEC./CHAI	DEMOCRATIC SENATORIAL CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE (D)	$25,000 primary	09/12/08
Madoff, Bernard L. Mr. New York, NY 10021 Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securi	SECURITIES INDUSTRY AND FINANCIAL MARKETS ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE	$5,000 primary	08/20/08
MADOFF, BERNARD NEW YORK, NY 10022 SELF EMPLOYED/INVESTOR	MERKLEY, JEFFREY ALAN (D) Senate - OR JEFF MERKLEY FOR OREGON	$2,300 primary	04/24/08
Madoff, Bernard L. New York, NY 10021	SAUL, ANDREW MARSHALL (R) House (NY 19) SAUL FOR CONGRESS INC	$-2,300 primary	12/05/07
Madoff, Bernard L New York, NY 10021 Bernard Madoff Investment/Chairman	LAUTENBERG, FRANK R (D) Senate - NJ LAUTENBERG NJ VICTORY COMMITTEE	$5,000 primary	07/20/07
Madoff, Bernard L New York, NY 10021 Bernard Madoff Investment/Chairman	LAUTENBERG, FRANK R (D) Senate - NJ LAUTENBERG NJ VICTORY COMMITTEE	$2,300 primary	07/20/07
Madoff, Bernard L New York, NY 10021 Bernard Madoff Investment/Chairman	LAUTENBERG, FRANK R (D) Senate - NJ LAUTENBERG NJ VICTORY COMMITTEE	$300 primary	07/20/07
Madoff, Bernard L. New York, NY 10021 Bernard L. Madoff Investment/Chairm	SAUL, ANDREW MARSHALL (R) House (NY 19) SAUL FOR CONGRESS INC	$2,300 primary	07/10/07
Madoff, Bernard L Mr. New York, NY 10021 Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securi	SECURITIES INDUSTRY AND FINANCIAL MARKETS ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE	$5,000 primary	05/24/07
MADOFF, BERNARD L NEW YORK, NY 10022 BERNARD L. MADOFF INVEST.-SEC./CHAI	DEMOCRATIC SENATORIAL CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE (D)	$25,000 primary	05/04/07
Madoff, Bernard L Mr. New York, NY 10021 Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securi	SECURITIES INDUSTRY AND FINANCIAL MARKETS ASSOCIATION FUND A	$5,000 primary	10/17/06
MADOFF, BERNARD L NEW YORK, NY 10022 BERNARD L. MADOFF INVEST. SEC./CHAI	DEMOCRATIC SENATORIAL CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE (D)	$25,000 primary	09/30/06
Madoff, Bernard L Mr. New York, NY 10021 Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securi	SECURITIES INDUSTRY AND FINANCIAL MARKETS ASSOCIATION FUND A	$5,000 primary	09/22/05
MADOFF, BERNARD L NEW YORK, NY 10021 BERNARD L MADOFF INVEST SEC	DEMOCRATIC SENATORIAL CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE (D)	$25,000 primary	05/09/05
Madoff, Bernard New York, NY 10021 Madoff Investments/Chairman	MATHESON, JAMES (D) House (UT 02) MATHESON FOR CONGRESS	$250 general	10/18/04
Madoff, Bernard New York, NY 10021 Self-employed/Banker	HOOLEY, DARLENE (D) House (OR 05) HOOLEY FOR CONGRESS	$250 general	10/15/04
Madoff, Bernard L New York, NY 10021	FROST, MARTIN (D) House (TX 32) MARTIN FROST CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE	$250 general	10/15/04
MADOFF, BERNARD L NEW YORK, NY 10021 BERNARD L MADOFF INVESTMENTS	SCHUMER, CHARLES E (D) Senate - NY FRIENDS OF SCHUMER	$1,000 general	08/18/04
MADOFF, BERNARD L NEW YORK, NY 10021 BERNARD L MADOFF INVESTMENTS	SCHUMER, CHARLES E (D) Senate - NY FRIENDS OF SCHUMER	$1,000 primary	08/18/04
Madoff, Bernard L Mr. New York, NY 10021 Madoff (Bernard L.) Investment Secu	SECURITIES INDUSTRY AND FINANCIAL MARKETS ASSOCIATION FUND A	$5,000 primary	07/08/04
Madoff, Bernard L New York, NY 10021 Madoff Investments/Chairman	MARKEY, EDWARD J MR. (D) House (MA 07) MARKEY COMMITTEE, THE	$2,000 primary	06/17/04
Madoff, Bernard L New York, NY 10021 Madoff Investments/Chairman	MARKEY, EDWARD J MR. (D) House (MA 07) MARKEY COMMITTEE, THE	$2,000 general	06/17/04
MADOFF, BERNARD NEW YORK, NY 10021 BERNARD MADOFF INVESTMENTS	LAUTENBERG, FRANK R (D) Senate - NJ LAUTENBERG FOR SENATE	$1,000	02/18/04
Madoff, Bernard L New York, NY 10021 Bernard L Madoff/Chairman	GEPHARDT, RICHARD A (D) President GEPHARDT FOR PRESIDENT INC.	$2,000 primary	09/23/03
MADOFF, BERNARD NEW YORK, NY 10021 BERNARD MADOFF INVESTMENTS	WYDEN, RONALD LEE (D) Senate - OR WYDEN FOR SENATE	$2,000 primary	03/25/03
MADOFF, BERNARD NEW YORK, NY 10021 BERNARD MADOFF INVESTMENTS	WYDEN, RONALD LEE (D) Senate - OR WYDEN FOR SENATE	$2,000 general	03/25/03
MADOFF, BERNARD L NEW YORK, NY 10021 BERNARD L MADOFF INVESTMENTS	SCHUMER, CHARLES E (D) Senate - NY FRIENDS OF SCHUMER	$1,000 general	04/08/02
MADOFF, BERNARD L NEW YORK, NY 10021 BERNARD L MADOFF INVESTMENTS	SCHUMER, CHARLES E (D) Senate - NY FRIENDS OF SCHUMER	$1,000 primary	04/08/02
Madoff, Bernard L. New York, NY 10022 Bernard L. Madoff P.C./Chairman	RANGEL, CHARLES B (D) House (NY 15) RANGEL FOR CONGRESS	$1,000 primary	08/30/01
MADOFF, BERNARD NEW YORK, NY 10022 BERNARD L MADOFF INVESTMENT SECURIT	SECURITIES INDUSTRY AND FINANCIAL MARKETS ASSOCIATION FUND A	$2,000 primary	11/03/00
MADOFF, BERNARD L NEW YORK, NY 10021 BERNARD MADOFF INVESTMENT SEC	FOSSELLA, VITO (R) House (NY 13) COMMITTEE TO RE-ELECT VITO FOSSELLA	$1,000 primary	04/20/00
MADOFF, BERNARD L NEW YORK, NY 10021 BERNARD MADOFF INC	OBEY, DAVID R (D) House (WI 07) A LOT OF PEOPLE FOR DAVE OBEY	$1,000 primary	03/10/00
MADOFF, BERNARD NEW YORK, NY 10022 CHAIRMAN	CLINTON, HILLARY RODHAM (D) Senate - NY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON FOR US SENATE COMMITTEE INC	$1,000 primary	01/13/00
MADOFF, BERNARD NEW YORK, NY 10022 BERNARD L MADOFF INVESTMENT SECURIT	SECURITIES INDUSTRY AND FINANCIAL MARKETS ASSOCIATION FUND A	$2,000 primary	12/20/99
MADOFF, BERNARD NEW YORK, NY 10022 BERNARD L MADOFF INVESTMENT SECURIT	SECURITIES INDUSTRY AND FINANCIAL MARKETS ASSOCIATION FUND A	$2,000 primary	12/20/99
MADOFF, BERNARD NEW YORK, NY 10021 MADOFF SECURITIES	CORZINE, JON S (D) Senate - NJ CORZINE 2000 INC	$1,000 primary	08/24/99
Madoff, Bernard Mr. New York, NY 10021 Bernard Madoff Investment Securitie	BRADLEY, BILL (D) President BILL BRADLEY FOR PRESIDENT INC	$1,000 primary	04/26/99
MADOFF, BERNARD L NEW YORK, NY 10021 BERNARD L MADOFF INVESTMENT SECURIT	SCHUMER, CHARLES E (D) Senate - NY VICTORY IN NEW YORK	$1,000 primary	10/30/98
MADOFF, BERNARD L NEW YORK, NY 10022 BERNARD L MADOFF PC	RANGEL, CHARLES B (D) House (NY 15) RANGEL FOR CONGRESS	$1,000 general	10/23/98
MADOFF, BERNARD L NEW YORK, NY 10021 SELF-EMPLOYED	D'AMATO, ALFONSE M (R) Senate - NY FRIENDS OF SENATOR D'AMATO (1998 COMMITTEE)	$1,000 general	09/21/98
MADOFF, BERNARD NEW YORK, NY 10022	CROWLEY, JOSEPH (D) House (NY 07) CROWLEY FOR CONGRESS	$-500 primary	08/26/98
MADOFF, BERNARD NEW YORK, NY 10022 BOND BROKER	CROWLEY, JOSEPH (D) House (NY 07) CROWLEY FOR CONGRESS	$500 primary	08/04/98
MADOFF, BERNARD NEW YORK, NY 10021	SCHUMER, CHARLES E (D) Senate - NY SCHUMER '98	$-300 primary	06/29/98
MADOFF, BERNARD L NEW YORK, NY 10022 BERNARD L MADOFF INVESTMENT SECURIT	SCHUMER, CHARLES E (D) Senate - NY SCHUMER '98	$1,000 primary	05/22/98
MADOFF, BERNARD L NEW YORK, NY 10022 BERNARD L MADOFF INVESTMENT SECURIT	SCHUMER, CHARLES E (D) Senate - NY SCHUMER '98	$1,000 general	05/22/98
MADOFF, BERNARD L NEW YORK, NY 10021 MADOFF INVESTMENTS	MARKEY, EDWARD J MR. (D) House (MA 07) MARKEY COMMITTEE, THE	$1,000 primary	05/15/98
MADOFF, BERNARD L NEW YORK, NY 10022 BERNARD L MADOFF INVESTMENT	TAUZIN, WILBERT J II (R) House (LA 03) BILLY TAUZIN CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE THE	$1,000 primary	05/05/98
MADOFF, BERNARD NEW YORK, NY 10022 BERNARD L MADOFF INVESTMENT SECURIT	SCHUMER, CHARLES E (D) Senate - NY SCHUMER '98	$300 primary	03/31/98
MADOFF, BERNARD L NEW YORK, NY 10021 BERNARD L MADOFF CO	FRISA, DANIEL (R) House (NY 04) DAN FRISA FOR CONGRESS	$1,000 general	09/17/96
MADOFF, BERNARD L NEW YORK, NY 10021 MADOFF SECURITIES	MARKEY, EDWARD J MR. (D) House (MA 07) MARKEY COMMITTEE, THE	$1,000 primary	08/04/96

Governor Patterson, WTF are you doing?

click on the picture to ENLARGE it

I don't get Governor Patterson. He acts like he's serious about changing the ways of Albany. He even said that if NYS does not change they way it does business that the State could go bankrupt. He says all the right things, but then he does the exact opposite of what he is preaching, things like buying expensive carpets. Now this. The article below is by Fred Dicker of the New York Post. What is Governor Patterson thinking? Did he think that we wouldn't find out?


ALBANY - Gov. Paterson has secretly granted raises of as much as 46 percent to more than a dozen staffers at a time when he has asked 130,000 state workers to give up 3 percent pay hikes because of the state's fiscal crisis, The Post has learned.

The startling pay hikes, costing about $250,000 annually, were granted after the governor's "emergency" declaration in August of a looming fiscal crisis that required the state to cut spending and impose a "hard" hiring freeze.

One raise was approved as recently as last month - when Paterson claimed the budget deficit had reached an unprecedented $15.5 billion.

The raises, which have stunned the few state workers who know about them, are outlined in data obtained from the office of state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, prepared at The Post's request.

Two of the raises were tied to publicly proclaimed promotions - granted despite the supposed hiring freeze - of some of Paterson's most important appointees, although the announcements didn't include disclosure of the pay hikes.

The remaining 14 raises appear to have gone to individuals who remained in their same positions, despite claims by a spokesman for Paterson that they had been promoted.

"These are not raises for old positions, rather new salaries for new positions," Paterson spokesman Errol Cockfield insisted.

But a DiNapoli spokesman, Dennis Thompkins, said flatly, "These are individuals who stayed in their same position and received a salary increase."

Paterson's top aide, William Cunningham, a one-time law partner of the governor's father, Basil, saw his pay jump 5 percent to $178,500 - just $500 less than Paterson himself - from $170,000 on Nov. 7, after he was promoted from a temporary "acting" secretary to permanent.

Charlotte Hitchcock, one of Cunningham's deputies and a personal friend of the governor's, received an $18,000, or 11.25 percent, raise on Dec. 22. While a press release said she was promoted from deputy secretary to "chief of staff" and "director of financial regulation," it made no mention of a higher salary.

Cassie Prugh, a confidential assistant, was given a 46 percent pay hike in late November, raising her annual salary to $125,000 from $85,721, while Gaurav Vasisht, an assistant counsel, received a 6 percent, $7,427 increase in December, bringing his salary to $130,279.

Brendan Fitzgerald, a special office assistant, received a 21 percent, or $15,737, pay hike only last month, bringing his salary to $90,000, while Michael Deloach, another confidential assistant, saw his pay leap 29 percent, or $18,200, to $80,000 in August.

Lauren Passalacqua, a confidential secretary, saw her salary jump $12,000, or 31.5 percent, to $50,000, while the salary of another confidential aide, Chardee Mendoza, was hiked $10,000, or 28.5 percent, to $45,000.

Disclosure of the secret pay hikes comes as Paterson is under attack for spending well over $20,000 in state funds on a four-day stay for himself and several aides during President Obama's inaugural last month, and for planning a state-funded junket to Davos, Switzerland, which he canceled only after his plans became public.

Paterson, in his budget proposal outlined in December, demanded that state workers who belong to the Civil Service Employees Association and the Public Employee Federation forgo negotiated, 3 percent pay hikes that would kick in April 1 or face massive layoffs.

The Stick and the Carrot

The stick - Tell businesses that if they want Federal Bailout money that they need to hire American workers - not foreigners.

The carrot - Let's lower the federal payroll tax that employers pay to try to stimulate the employers to hire more workers and add labor hours. They always talk about lowering the taxes for workers. Trying cutting the employer's contribution and maybe the employers will be motivated to add some labor.

AP Investigation: Banks sought foreign workers
By FRANK BASS and RITA BEAMISH, Associated Press Writers Frank Bass And Rita Beamish, Associated Press Writers Sun Feb 1, 8:10 am ET

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Banks collecting billions of dollars in federal bailout money sought government permission to bring thousands of foreign workers to the U.S. for high-paying jobs, according to an Associated Press review of visa applications.

The dozen banks receiving the biggest rescue packages, totaling more than $150 billion, requested visas for more than 21,800 foreign workers over the past six years for positions that included senior vice presidents, corporate lawyers, junior investment analysts and human resources specialists. The average annual salary for those jobs was $90,721, nearly twice the median income for all American households.

The figures are significant because they show that the bailed-out banks, being kept afloat with U.S. taxpayer money, actively sought to hire foreign workers instead of American workers. As the economic collapse worsened last year — with huge numbers of bank employees laid off — the numbers of visas sought by the dozen banks in AP's analysis increased by nearly one-third, from 3,258 in fiscal 2007 to 4,163 in fiscal 2008.

The AP reviewed visa applications the banks filed with the Labor Department under the H-1B visa program, which allows temporary employment of foreign workers in specialized-skill and advanced-degree positions.

It is unclear how many foreign workers the banks actually hired; the government does not release those details. The actual number is likely a fraction of the 21,800 foreign workers the banks sought to hire because the government limits the number of visas it grants to 85,000 each year among all U.S. employers.

During the last three months of 2008, the largest banks that received taxpayer loans announced more than 100,000 layoffs. The number of foreign workers included among those laid off is unknown.

Foreigners are attractive hires because companies have found ways to pay them less than American workers.

___

Don't Look A Gift Horse in the Mouth

I don't think that anyone would disagree that the economy is in pretty bad shape and that Ulster County needs economic development to bring jobs for the residents of the county. People have been laid off from their jobs, people have lost their homes. Yet - there is still a developer trying to build a wonderful resort here.

Are we grateful? No - of course not. God forbid anyone in this county embraces someone trying to build a business here.

The Williams Lake property is trying to be developed and the support for the project from our elected officials has been underwhelming. Where is our new Executive? Why isn't he beating the bushes to get this project done. How about his new Economic Development guru, March Gallagher? Certainly she wants economic development - why isn't she speaking out in support of the project?

How about the Freeman. Could they possibly write a positive article about someone putting money into our economy for a project that would create jobs? No, they write an article titled "Resort/housing developer may seek tax relief", which is code for "let's give everyone something to complain about" !!! When Canopy started the project, they weren't looking for tax relief. After all the headache and expense that we are putting them through, who could blame them to look for some tax relief.

Shame on you Daily Freeman for not putting a positive spin on this story. If they build this resort, they would most likely advertise in your newspaper, and that just may save some jobs at your company one day.

Ahhh.... but we can't see the forest for the trees. Literally - thanks to the environmentalists.

This developer is hanging out there all by himself while the environmental Save the Lakes crowd and others intimidate everyone into silence.

From the Daily Freeman "The project has drawn criticism from some groups seeking to have the longtime recreational site remain accessible to county residents, while direct opposition has come from people asking that environmental reviews be done stringently."

Excuse my language, but that is such BULL. Williams Lake has never been open the public. Not when it was operating, and certainly NOT NOW. If you aren't sure, all you have to do is ask Antia Peck and she will tell you so.

Rosendale Councilwoman Ms. Manna Jo Greene has a lot to say, but does not represent a lot of Rosendale residents that need jobs.

One reader of The Freeman commented "Just how many vacant store fronts does she [Manna Jo Greene] want to see downtown? 100%? Because with foot dragging such as hers that is the ONLY way we're headed.

We're not talking nuclear power plant, or filthy cement plant, or strip mall or prison - we're talking 4-Star hotel and responsible home owners!!! Good grief - hers is not leadership with vision, it's more like naive pie in the sky denial.

Stop whining. Start doing!!! Enough! MAKE THIS HAPPEN, NOW. "

In tough economic times like these, we should be thankful that Canopy has not picked up and left town. I drive through Rosendale all the time. It's such sad site to see businesses shut down. I think most people want a thriving Main Street - not Orange County sprawl - but not Sullivan County either.

We can only hope that the new blood at the IDA can help push this project along. It doesn't seem like our elected officials in Rosendale or the new County Executive Team have the inclination to lend their assistance.

Best of luck Anita and Canopy!

Click below to read the entire story in the Freeman

http://dailyfreeman.com/articles/2009/01/28/news/doc497fe65ca6032490652680.txt

Taxpayers funding "nice to haves" in Ulster County

The other day I was sitting around thinking.... "Damn It! I really wish that our politicians would spend some taxpayer money and upgrade the Ulster County website".

Well not really.

First, I can't believe that the papers even printed this story. An orangutan could have executed this move. I guess that's why Hein gets paid the big ($133,000) bucks. News must really be slow when an upgrade to a website is newsworthy.

Maybe Mike Hein didn't get the word from Governor Patterson that New York State is facing the worst economic crisis in it's history and that we are trying to cut spending.

Maybe Mike missed the endless lines of people pleading their cases to the Legislators in Albany for the budget hearings not to cut their line item in the budget. And these were for important things like the arts, education, the environment, etc.

But we don't have those issues in Ulster County! We've got money to play with and do things like make our website cooler so that our County Executive can add that to his "resume" of things he accomplished. Sounds like he's getting ready for his next campaign already.

I can hear Mike now...."and among my many accomplishments, I made the Ulster County website better for the taxpayers of Ulster County"

Anyone can spend money. Anyone. It takes real balls to cut things. That's what we need right now.

So! Instead of sitting around trying to figure out ways to spend more taxpayer money, how about putting your collective brains together and trying to find ways of cutting expenses.

Anyone who has a website knows that they can be a bottomless pit of time and money.

Web designers can spend hours and hours and hours making things fancy. And that all costs money.

This project sounds like it's a nice to have, not a must have.

Really Mike, in this economy, we need to stick to the must haves.

Stop spending money like a girl, grow a pair and trim the spending of taxpayer dollars.

Hein's plan to make more plans

Mike Hein has released his task force report for Economic Development.

It seems to be a plan to make more plans, mostly likely with more task forces.

1) Create a PLAN to take advantage of federal funds.
Wasn't that the whole idea of the last task force... to write the damn plan? Not to recommend to write another plan? I wonder if we'll need a plan to appoint a new task force to write this plan.

2) Create a Council of Economic Advisors to help restructure economic development? Really? What kind of BS is this? Doesn't Mike have enough "advisors" already? Really.... what are all of these Deputy Executives, Assistant Deputy Executives and March Gallagher doing? Now we need another task force for this? More advisors to surround Mike to deflect any blame for anything not done.

3) Analyze the Operations of the IDA? Really? What could possibly be wrong with the IDA? Newly appointed 6th floor Planning Goddess and former IDA Chairman March Gallager, most certainly left that Agency in top shape when she left. Why else would she get such a plum job in Planning on the 6th floor (that's an oxymoron isn't it? the planning dept on the 6th floor?) reporting to Mike Hein? There couldn't possibly be anything wrong there.

4) Direct the planning department to make a guide for municipalities. Really? Now that's a disaster in the making. Our anti-development planning department is going to make a guide for our anti-development town planning boards. Now that's a winner Mike. I'd move that one up to #1 on your list and put March "I got no applications at the IDA when I was chair" Gallagher in charge of that plan. That will be a winner. Put the lady (and I use that term lightly) who failed miserably at attracting any jobs to our county when she was the IDA Chair in charge of telling our towns how to fail miserably at attracting business. Here's a clue. The Town Planning Boards do a great job all by themselves of discouraging any businesses of relocating to Ulster County. Ask anyone who has been in front of a Planning Board. They don't need any help from the County. If you want to attract business to this county - throw out the UCDC, IDA, Planning Department and Town Planning Boards and then contract out all planning and economic development work to Greene County.

5) And the best one of all.... focus on redeveloping Tech City. Really. All of those really smart people in one room, and that's the plan? Really? No one had thought of that one before? Develop Tech City? Really Mike, that's your plan? Boy, I'm really glad we elected you. NOT


Read the article from the Times Herald Record Here

Unions stay Neutral in Senate Fight

The New York State Senate will decide on Wednesday who their leader will be. We don't know who the Majority Leader will be until the vote, but what we do know is that neither side will be getting any help from the unions.

While the Democrats technically won a majority of the seats in November, the so called "Gang of Three" Democrats, Senator Pedro Espada, Jr, Carl Kruger, and Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr. have threatened to side with the Republicans after some very public disputes over gay marriage and general disagreements with the Senate Minority Leader Malcolm "You should get in early because then it doesn't cost as much. The longer you wait to get in, the more it will cost you and if you don't get in at all, then it will be painful after November" Smith.

With obnoxious comments like that from Smith, it is easy to see why the gang of three has a problem with Smith. At the time, everyone seemed to give Smith a pass on his comments, but after the problem that the Governor in Illinois has had, one can only wonder in retrospect if Smith should have been given a free pass for those comments.

It's too late to investigate his comments now, but it's not to late to make sure that Smith is NOT elected Majority Leader of the Senate.

Elizabeth Benjamin, NY Daily News

AFL-CIO Stays Neutral In Senate Fight

January 5, 2009

The AFL-CIO is staying out of the state Senate leadership battle and will work with "whomever ends up running" the chamber, according to Mario Cilento, spokesman for the 2.5 million-member umbrella labor organization.

"The AFL has said from the very beginning that we would never get involved in the internal politics of the Senate," Cilento said.

Republican Leader Dean Skelos had been hoping to set up a meeting or conference call today with leaders of the erstwhile majority's longstanding organized labor allies, including the AFL-CIO and 1199 SEIU, and the Gang of Three in hopes of convincing the renegade trio to side with him against Democratic Leader Malcolm Smith.

But Cilento insisted AFL-CIO President Denis Hughes had not been asked to participate in that effort, although he did confirm that Skelos had called the union big to inquire whether members of the Gang of Three would be penalized if they turned their backs on the Democratic Party when it comes time for 2010 endorsements.

The response?

"The answer was 'No,'" Cilento said. "Our endorsements are made based solely on members' voting records."

As you'll recall, the AFL-CIO delayed its endorsements in the fall elections due to its upset over legislators' support of a property tax cap, which was vehemently opposed by a number of labor unions.

After that brief upset, the AFL-CIO relented and awarded its support to a number of lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. All of its endorsements went to incumbents, which means it sided with the GOP in key contested Senate races.

Two members of the Gang of Three - Sen. Carl Kruger and Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr. - ran with AFL-CIO support.

The third, Sen. Pedro Espada Jr., did not. In fact, the AFL-CIO endorsed the incumbent Democrat Espada successfully sought to unseat in the September primary, ex-Sen. Efrain Gonzalez, and declined to endorse Espada in the general election.

The Senate Democrats are getting some help in the leadership fight from their own labor allies, including the Working Families Party, 32BJ, RWDSU, the Hotel Trades Council, and the CWA, along with others with a vested interest in seeing the Senate pushed into Democratic hands for the first time since 1962 such as the Empire State Pride Agenda.

The outcome of the Senate battle will be interesting for the labor community, as it has clearly already split unions into Democrat and GOP camps.

A number of labor heavyweights - even 1199, which was long allied to the Republicans while they were led by ex-Majority Leader Joe Bruno - have been hedging their bets with campaign contributions for some time. But the public employees unions have largely remained loyal to the GOP, which could prove troublesome at a time when Gov. David Paterson is calling for them to re-open their contracts and forgo raises.