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February 2, 2009
Atlantic Yards YES! Teachers NO!
New York City is on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars for Bruce Ratner's Atlantic Yards plan. Meanwhile Mayor Bloomberg just presented a budget that proposes laying off 15,630 educators citywide, much to the consternation of another Atlantic Yards supporter, United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten.
This report from 1010 WINS News Radio by Terry Sheridan:
Bloomberg threatened the city's labor unions with 20,000 layoffs if they don't step up to renegotiate contracts and require workers to contribute more on their benefit packages.
"You can only get so much blood out of a stone'' with budget cuts and other measures, Bloomberg said. After that might come layoffs, he said. He is confronting a $4 billion deficit for the next fiscal year, which begins in July.
But the United Federation of Teachers is claiming city educators make up an unfair proportion of the proposed job cuts. The U.F.T. says the mayor's plan will see educators account for 15,630 of the proposed cut of 19,650 positions city-wide.
U.F.T. President Randi Weingarten said, "We know times are tough and that everyone needs to share in making sacrifices, but this is shockingly disproportionate and unfair."
Posted by lumi at February 2, 2009 4:45 AM