Double dipping on taxpayers' dime

Hundreds of New York government workers are double dippers - collecting pension paychecks for old jobs from which they retired, as they simultaneously take home salaries from new public-payroll jobs.

$LAMMED BY BIG 'DIPPERS'

While Gov. Paterson has ordered a virtual hiring freeze to curb "insurmountable" debt, state agencies rely on a loophole to hire retirees for jobs they claim no one else can fill - from $30,000-a-year bus drivers to executive directors and commissioners making six figures.

Under the law, the state must suspend pensions of retirees under age 65 who take new public jobs paying more than $30,000.

But about 700 retired state and local government workers, including many ex-cops, currently are granted special exceptions - known as "211 waivers" for the section number in the law - by the state Civil Service Commission. They collect a total $49 million in salaries, plus their pensions.

About 100 double dippers draw salaries of at least $100,000 on top of their pensions - a deal that boosts their income dramatically.

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