Petitions to stop canal system layoffs

ALBANY, NY (WIVB) - There is push back on a plan to lay off hundreds of Erie Canal employees as part of New York State budget cuts.

There are plans to send out pink slips to 234 workers, most of them lock operators.

A petition has now been launched to save those jobs.  Click here .

CSEA president Danny Donohue says that the layoffs come at a critical time when heavy rains and flooding can impact areas along the locks.  Hands-on manipulation is needed by skilled workers to control dam movement and stabilize water levels.