Thursday, August 13, 2020

THE 22,000 MUNICIPAL WORKER LAYOFFS ARE STILL BEING THREATENED; LABOR NEEDS A STRONG, UNITED RESPONSE

The 22,000 layoffs for city workers are still on the table for October 1 (see below). Note that the NYPD is not subject to layoffs but the DOE is. NYPD can cut in other areas. Am I to understand that there is no way to cut the DOE besides laying off educators? That makes zero sense. How again is the city going to afford in-person schooling? In my opinion, the Mayor is afraid to take on the cops. 

To figure out a proper union response, I took out my copy of Joshua Freeman's Working Class New York so that I could reread the chapter on the 1975 fiscal crisis. In the seventies, the financial elite corporatists destroyed the social democracy experiment New York City attempted after World War II. The unions reacted separately. The UFT had what was their only strike that produced no real gains in 1975 while Taylor Law penalties were imposed so teachers lost two days pay for every day on strike and tenure was taken for a year. The UFT never went on strike again and has had to pay dearly for every dollar we've gotten since then with deteriorating working conditions because we have so little leverage.

In 2020, I am scared of the coronavirus but I am not afraid of layoffs if organized labor unites. The political climate is quite different today compared to 1975. At that time, there was a huge backlash against NYC's highly evolved social democratic welfare state. The city was used as an example by the elites to show how NYC was too generous in providing decent healthcare and free college education for all. By 1980, Ronald Reagan was elected President. In the age of Trump, the working classes aren't unified but there is plenty of anger out there. Many still try to play divide and conquer on race. Today, teacher union militancy is on the upswing all over the country. If unions work together, we can stave off austerity again. It didn't happen in 1975 but it was proposed.

A general strike was proposed at the height of the fiscal crisis in 1975. Then UFT leader Albert Shanker's response tells you everything you need to know about the UFT even then. It's on page 267 of Freeman's book: "A general strike is a political weapon associated with the communist unions of Europe. For us to use it would be irresponsible." Irresponsible to whom? The city that the UFT and other unions lent our pension money to in order to bail them out or his members and the members of other unions? If every union was on strike, we could have made some gains for loaning the city our pension funds. It's nothing new for the UFT to be looking out for the city more than us. 

I would add that there has not been a public sector strike in NYS that I know of since the International Labor Organization, a United Nations agency, ruled in 2011 that the Taylor Law ban on strikes is a human rights violation. If we threaten a strike, it doesn't end until the penalties from the Taylor Law are waived or the left-leaning New York State Legislature votes to repeal the ban on strikes.  


This is a big part of the article where de Blasio threatens jobs. It is from Politico:

NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city is moving forward with “painfully real” plans to lay off 22,000 public workers on Oct. 1 unless another source of cash comes through.

De Blasio confirmed the layoff plans are progressing after POLITICO first reported Tuesday that agencies have been ordered to come up with a list of employees being considered for job cuts by the end of next week.“

The overwhelming cost of local government is personnel. Where we put our money is into the people who provide services to New Yorkers, whether they’re first responders, health care workers, sanitation workers, educators, you name it,” de Blasio told reporters Wednesday

“If you’re going to keep cutting and keep cutting, it has to at some point reach personnel. It’s just pure logic of budgets, and it’s very sad logic. I don’t like it one bit, and I want to avert this at all costs. So that 22,000 number is painfully real," he said.

De Blasio has been hoping for a multi-billion dollar federal aid package to bail out the city after the coronavirus pandemic decimated its bottom line. But he acknowledged Wednesday that “appears to be dead now.”

The mayor has also asked state legislators for authority to borrow money to pay expenses, but Albany lawmakers have so far balked.

And the city is in talks with municipal labor unions on other cuts that could save $1 billion in labor costs, a number required by the city budget passed at the end of June.

If none of those three options comes through, de Blasio said layoffs will happen — on a scale not seen since the 1970s fiscal crisis.

“It’s a massive, painful number. It resembles the kind of things we had to do decades ago. But the job here is to try and avert it if we can,” he said.

De Blasio’s budget team has reached out to high-ranking officials within city departments to instruct them on how much of their individual budgets must be slashed through shrinking the workforce, according to several people involved in the calls.

They said the NYPD — whose nearly $6 billion budget was the source of tremendous controversy amid anti-police-brutality protests in recent months — is being given different orders and will not be asked to do layoffs, though they will have to cut in other areas.

27 comments:

R said...

Today is the last chance I will give Mulgrew. No, I don't mean opt out, you have all made clear that you will never do that, no matter how bad the situation gets or how little Mulgrew does. If he doesn't say something serious about making sure that any teacher who wants to be remote can be or say we will all be remote, I will be emailing every higher-up I can in the doe, uft and nyc telling them I will not enter a building. I will have to deal with the consequences. Will they fire me? Maybe. I don't see any other option.

Anonymous said...

So a question about striking if someone could please answer. If the union recommends striking and a teacher refuses to strike is the teacher refusing to strike going against the union or is the union going against the teachers who want to work because a strike is illegal?

Would also a strike be a similar situation to the MLB umpires in 1999 when they couldn't legally strike so they simply didn't work to gain leverage. However, the MLB simply accepted their resignations and hired new umpires. Those umpires never worked again.

Striking is not the current answer with the law the way it is and to be honest it's not even a legitimate threat. Look at the current situations happening in other schools around the country. Kids are getting the virus forcing thousands to go into quarantine. That will happen here. Let it play out in other parts of the nation. The late school opening will benefit us with time. Principals and nurses support us not opening. The media is anti-Trump therefore anti-opening. Keep up the narrative because Mulgrew has not and then when the time comes we need new leadership.

Anonymous said...

I was on a call with my principal and teachers.
He told use there were 40 " reasonable accommodations requests from "Aministrators, teachers and staff total"
we were told that no teachers have been notified one way of the other. Central has only notified A.p's."

Will everyone with the drs.note that specifies one of the CDC aggravating medical conditions be approved automatically i.e."rubber stamped"

They have been sitting on them for one month . Has ANY teacher received a response on their leave request for a reasonable accomodation?
Anyone?
do you think is going on.

Anonymous said...

God speed 11:45. I hope others join you. I'm retired. My God if this doesn't unite teachers nothing will.

Anonymous said...

Funny there's no money yet we still have the ATR and that bloated bureaucracy. He could save a lot of jobs if he placed the ATRs and cut some of the bureaucrats.

Anonymous said...

Making it safe is impossible. Deadly virus, school building, trains, buses, unwilling and uncooperative students...They are giving accommodation to some, why should others be put at risk?

Anonymous said...

Long after the fire of a Covid-19 infection, mental and neurological effects can still smolder

Anonymous said...

1211, yes, teachers have been notified, all, it seems, have been approved. The people without medical issues are the suckers and will get very sick and die.

James Eterno said...

I can confirm that teachers have gotten answers on ADA requests to work from home. Did anyone get turned down?

Anonymous said...

James, if you're referring to the medical accommodation, then yes, I am hearing that quite a few teachers were denied. The most troubling are those with lupus; I've heard of one case in particular where they were denied because they are not taking steroids for their condition (which lower immunity). Very upsetting.

James Eterno said...

If the UFT ever called for a strike after the members voted for it and you go into work, you are a scab. To be polite, a strikebreaker. You are helping management defeat the strike. Taylor Law strike prohibition is a human rights violation as stated above.

From Wikipedia:
A strikebreaker (sometimes derogatorily called a scab, blackleg, or knobstick) is a person who works despite an ongoing strike. ... "Strikebreakers" may also refer to workers (union members or not) who cross picket lines to work.

Anonymous said...

Have teachers Younger than age 65 gotten relies on their applications?
( the 65 and over are automatic if requested.
I submitted mine the third day it was open and have not gotten a reply .

The only Confirmation of my application was an auto generated receipt upon submission,

No confirming email came to my nycdoe email.

Did other who filed applications get confirmation emails in addition to the automatic generate receipt??

Anonymous said...

This makes no sense. Why would the mayor move forward with layoff plans without first pushing for an early retirement incentive program? An ERI would probably painlessly eliminate more positions and provide a much bigger savings because the salaries eliminated from the budget would be much much higher.
The early retirement bills (one in the Assembly and a duplicate in the Senate ) have been sitting in committee for 2 full months with no action. Legislators claim there has been no action because the mayor and the governor haven't given the green light to move forward.
Can anyone explain why the game is being played this way ? Because it makes no sense to me.

Anonymous said...

Not a chance this is enforced in schools.

Andrew Cuomo
@NYGovCuomo
Reminder: Wearing a mask on the NYC Subway or the bus isn’t optional. It’s mandatory.

Respect your fellow riders and wear your mask (PROPERLY!).

Anonymous said...

I don't even know if I can listen to the Town Hall later. Look at the latest tweet a/k/a pandering, from Mulgrew:

@UFT:

Mulgrew: "Parents and educators will be relieved, and the 70,000 students who have gone without will now have access to a medical professional if and when school buildings reopen."

No, Mikey, I'm not relieved.

Unknown said...

To 1:23 pm- I got no confirming email. But I logged onto the application again using History on my browser two weeks later, and there was a note that my accommodation had been approved. No email.

Anonymous said...

A little walk down memory lane- I'm sure this is the tip of the iceberg. Nice quote, James.

https://nypost.com/2018/11/11/teachers-union-chief-accepted-over-8k-in-us-open-tickets/?utm_source=url_sitebuttons&utm_medium=site%20buttons&utm_campaign=site%20buttons

Anonymous said...

Redfield, worst health in fall in history

Anonymous said...

To 1:23
I know several people who also received either a denial/approved email. I also know someone who did not receive any emails yet.

To 2:24
How are you able to access your application again? Going onto SOLAS simply indicate that the application is received. No info given. Please help.

Unknown said...

I don’t know. I clicked onto the original application from my browser history on the date I filed. The note was there. I didn’t log in again. The note was dated yesterday. I applied two weeks ago. I printed it out, to be safe. Just try not to worry. 🌠

Anonymous said...

I am a retired teacher I was laid off in 1975 with 4 years experience NYC WILL NEVER HAVE MASS LAYOFFS AGAIN because of the disruption from having to move teachers from school to school "bumping" each other due to seniority. That's why Mulgrew invented ATRs who when excessed should have "bumped" others with less seniority.

Anonymous said...

Redfield said potential for worst in the fall if we don't wear masks, social distance, wash hands. Earlier commenter is correct. UFT needs to focus on pointing out every broken promise like the 3% infection rate cut off. Neighborhoods above 3% need schools shuttered. No nurses yet, no ppe yet, no proper ventilation yet. Mayor keeps saying all will be in place. So until Sept 10 comes we wait and see. Uft should prepare for walkout and keep demanding answers but we can only rattle the saber so much now since mayor INSISTS all will be in place by opening day. We know it won't be but we have to have patience while being persistent so we don't come off as unreasonable alarmists. And no f'n way I want retro delayed after waiting 11 years. We lent NYC money in the 90s and got 3 extra vacation days plus interest on the loan. We've waited 11 years no interest no extra vacation or sick days....nothing! I want my money. Remember if we die before retro, retro payment dies with us.

Anonymous said...

I received a confirmation email but no decision yet. I applied 7/29. Just checked again, no decision yet.

Anonymous said...

Trump supporters will be scabs because a) they support going back to school and b) they are antiunion and c) the UFT/AFT is tied at the hip to the Democratic party center and right wing. So they are paying dues to support a political agenda they are opposed to.

TeachNY said...

I’m sorry, but if we strike there’s a chance we will he fired. That’s not a risk I’m willing to take with 15 plus years in.

Anonymous said...

I am sorry but if you cross a picket line after a union calls a strike you are a dirty rotten scab, the lowest form of human life.

Anonymous said...

And you are a selfish bastard too worrying about your own shit and not all of us.