With New York state's April 1 budget deadline just days away, pressure is intensifying across the state as an unprecedented coalition of legislators, local government leaders, educators, nurses, firefighters, and public-sector employers warn Albany: failure to act on Tier 6 is already driving a workforce crisis, and it's getting worse.

Legislators from both sides of the aisle and every region of the state are demanding change. Gov. Kathy Hochul, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, state Attorney General Tish James and more have expressed support for action this budget cycle.

Local elected officials, mayors, county executives and other municipal employers - the very people on the front lines of recruiting and retaining the public workforce - are seeing the consequences firsthand. They know the cost of inaction: fewer workers, fewer services, and communities left without the teachers, nurses, and first responders they need.

See the full list of elected leaders and employer supporters.

This growing alarm follows a landmark 15,000-person rally at MVP Arena in Albany, one of the largest labor mobilizations in recent memory, underscoring the scale and urgency of fixing Tier 6.

A crisis that cannot wait

Created in 2012, Tier 6 covers approximately 780,000 public employees in New York. It was designed by former governor Andrew Cuomo in response to an artificial and manufactured fiscal crisis, and passed in the middle of the night. It created a two-tiered system where newer workers pay more, work longer, and receive significantly less in retirement than the generations who came before them.

The consequences of an unfair pension system have been swift. Increasingly, talented young people look at a career in public service and walk away. School districts across the state cannot fill teaching positions. Hospitals struggle to staff critical roles. Local governments compete for a shrinking pool of workers. First responder ranks are thinning.

New York State has one of the most well-funded pension systems in the country, and can do better for its public workforce.

"Let's be clear: Tier 6 is not just flawed policy, it's actively breaking New York's public workforce," said NYSUT President Melinda Person. "Schools can't hire, hospitals are short-staffed, and communities are paying the price. Lawmakers know the problem. Employers are sounding the alarm. Legislators must reject a budget proposal that does not include a significant fix to Tier 6."