ALBANY — The ice man cometh.
Gov. Cuomo will call on state workers to accept a one-year wage freeze Wednesday in his State of the State Address, a source familiar with the plan told The Post last night.
The freeze, which Cuomo first proposed during his campaign, would be part of an emergency financial plan designed to close a projected $10 billion budget deficit, the source said.
Former Gov. David Paterson sought but failed to secure a similar wage freeze last year, resulting in his decision to lay off some 900 state workers.
That plan would have saved $250 million.
This year, however, Cuomo enjoys leverage over the influential unions that represent a vast majority of the state government’s 190,000 workers.
He was elected on a pledge to rein in spending, and most of the state’s labor contracts expire March 31.
Cuomo has also said he’d be willing to drain his remaining campaign account to counter any union-backed campaigns against his budget plans.