New York may fire 22 thousand city workers due to financial problems

At the same time, the city authorities of New York do not plan to cut their own wages. They believe that it is worth resorting to at least and depriving thousands of urban workers of their jobs. Such an idea, of course, did not find public support. This publication writes Daily News.

Extreme measure

“We have to talk about the least. The last resort will be layoffs and vacations, ”New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a press conference on Wednesday, June 24.

By "last resort" he means that it is necessary to "take away jobs from urban workers." “The last resort is what I don’t want to do — take jobs from the urban workers we depend on,” he continued, “and their families depend on them for their livelihoods, but we are running out of options here.”

After the outbreak of coronavirus and the ensuing economic chaos, de Blasio reduced the planned budget for the year from $ 95 billion to $ 87 billion. This was based on the expected loss of tax revenues of about $ 7,4 billion.

But now de Blasio says revenue losses could be around $ 9 billion, requiring further cuts. “It's important to understand how difficult the situation is,” he said. "And it won't improve in the short term."

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This statement was made after several weeks of unsuccessful appeals by de Blasio, Governor Andrew Cuomo and other leaders to provide billions of dollars to save communities suffering from the economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. US President Donald Trump and the Senate rejected these requests.

De Blasio also asked the Albany government to allow the city to take out loans to cover operating costs, a move not taken since 11/XNUMX. But the governor and legislative leaders objected.

The statement made by the mayor on Wednesday, June 24, was not the first regarding dismissals in the city. However, for the first time he spoke about it in such detail.

The mayor said he hoped union leaders would help improve the "efficiency" of the budget through the collective bargaining process, but noted that the city had little time to find a solution to the problem. State law requires the mayor and city council to complete the budget by June 30th. “We hope we can continue looking for solutions,” the mayor said. "But if we fail to vote for this budget by then according to the law, then we will have to reserve these layoffs."

The city needs Washington's help

The head of the Municipal Labor Committee, which deals with health insurance and other benefits for city workers, called the mayor's layoff proposal "a little premature." "Why he is doing this now, I don't know," Harry Nespoli told the Daily News. "But let's face it: this city needs Washington's help now." He added that resignations would not help. “Layoffs lead to a reduction in services,” Nespoli stressed.

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The city teachers' union also reacted negatively to the mayor's proposal. “This is 'thank you for your service' during the pandemic - announcing the layoffs of thousands of city workers who have created an unprecedented virtual education program, staffed clinics, driven ambulances and supported other city services,” said Michael Mulgrew ), President of the United Federation of Teachers.

The 37th District Council (District Council 37), the city’s largest public servants union, declined to comment.

Councilor Ben Kallos also turned down the mayor's proposal to lay off city workers. "It's outrageous to fire dedicated city workers just so we can keep bloated contracts with large corporations," he told the Daily News.

Amid talk of layoffs, city officials shied away from cutting their own wages. De Blasio himself said last month that he had no plans for reductions for himself or for senior members of his administration. Council Speaker Corey Johnson has shied away from this.