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Municipal-employee union members turned out en masse for a rally June 16 where their leaders repudiated the notion that high salaries and benefits for public-sector workers were the cause of the city’s fiscal problems, demanding that Mayor Bloomberg and the City Council rescind his proposed job cuts in their upcoming budget.
More than 5,000 employees from dozens of unions filled Broadway from Barclay St. all the way back to Federal Plaza in an effort organized by the Municipal Labor Committee, District Council 37, and the United Federation of Teachers.
“We’ve had it up to here,” said MLC Chairman and Uniformed Sanitationmen’s Association President Harry Nespoli, one of the organizers of the rally. “We’re tired of reading about unions taking everyone apart. We did not cause this, but they’re trying to make us the victims of it.”
Although many of the Mayor’s original cuts, such as the layoffs of 4,400 Teachers and 3,000 uniformed job cuts in the Police Department, are now off the table, there is still the possibility of 1,600 layoffs and the closings of 20 fire companies, which labor leaders at the rally decried.
Although Sanitation Workers were the only noticeable uniformed employees in the crowd, several leaders of uniformed unions besides Mr. Nespoli spoke, a major change from last year’s budget rally.
“This is not your fault; this is Mike Bloomberg’s fault,” said Uniformed Firefighters Association President Steve Cassidy. “The Mayor flushed $1 billion down the toilet on CityTime. . . we shouldn’t have to pay for his mistakes, but he doesn’t know how to say, ‘I made a mistake,’ ’’ referring to the way-over-budget time-clock system that even the Mayor has called “a disaster.”
“If the garbage piles up, if the trains don’t run on time, if there’s no one to teach your children, if you dial 911 and no one comes, you have a desert —you don’t have New York City,” Mr. Cassidy continued, provoking passionate cheering from the crowd.
Sorry for the long read guys. Trying to condense the article a bit.
Many speakers also slammed the revelation at a recent City Council Finance Committee hearing that the city has a budget surplus of $3 billion but is planning to roll that money over to deal with the following fiscal year’s deficit, which the Mayor has estimated to be even worse. “You don’t cut services and lay off people when you have a surplus of $3 billion,” Mr. Nespoli said.
‘City Doesn’t Need Layoffs’
Professional Staff Congress President Barbara Bowen added, “I keep hearing this is a time of economic crisis, but the truth is the city has more than $3 billion [in surplus funds] . . . there does not need to be one single layoff in this city.”
he accused the Mayor of taking advantage of the national fiscal crisis to take on organized labor. “It’s disaster capitalism. . . you wait for a disaster to come along, and then use that to sweep away the public workers,” she said.
Negotiations between the Mayor and the City Council on the budget, which is due by the end of the month, are ongoing, although the failure of Albany lawmakers to finalize the state’s budget has complicated matters. The city may have to make guesses based on worst-case scenarios outlined under Governor Paterson’s proposed budget.
griping lol i state what i hear n what im thinking if you dont like it dont read my posts....it has nothing to do with my seniority... i just dont like the path this job is taking n guys with 20 plus years can leave when ever they want they had there good times.. we all have many years to go n were gonna have to worry bout some serious changes.....stickers on lockers...economy in the tanks NY is broke many people think city workers (dsny) get paid to much get a pension n benefits....tax payers wonder y the mexican on the corner cant do our job....everything on this job is documented now there is a time on everything u do.....if u dump at 8am n now stay out all day n give bak work doesnt that look wierd?
It's 2010!! For how many more years is the city going to turn a blind eye to the nonsence that goes on with this job. All things change in time. Men on this job hate the changes but we have to hope they are for the better, for us and the city as a whole. It's going to happen, no matter what we do. Run or stay out, the city is going to do whatever they want.
not m[SIZE=3]any guys from the DSNY retire early...this job has no age limit which means u can b 50 n get this job....we contribute the highest out of all the unions to our pension....NYPD FDNY have n age limit of 29 to be hired more guy leave NYPD after there 20 then anyone else so on the job 22 retire at 42.....FDNY guys stay past there 20...... ne ways if there r layoffs we wont know till we get that pink slip i feel so in the dark on many topics that the shop stewards dont not discuss...[/SIZE]
Thanks bro, it was from the Chief which is the complete opposite of how DSNY is covered from the Daily News and
the Post. There are always 2 sides to every story. It was good to read that DSNY had the largest representation at the rally.
JUST WANTED TO LET YOU ALL KNOW TWO FRIEND'S OF MINE HAVE JUST RETIRED ..............
can you get another 2000 or so to retire?
Maybe by tomorrow?
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Retired after 30 year's
