Thanks to Harry Lirtzman for sending me the latest Independent Budget Office report on New York City tax revenues called Tale of the Taxes. According to the IBO, New York had a banner tax collection year in fiscal year 2018 and should continue to collect increases in tax money but at a slower rate of growth in the coming years.
From the IBO Report:
Extraordinary circumstances over a year ago swelled personal income tax collections (PIT), boosting overall tax revenue growth in fiscal year 2018 to 8.5 percent. (For the rest of this report, years refer to city fiscal years.) For 2019, IBO forecasts much slower growth of 3.6 percent yielding $61.0 billion in total tax revenue. Slightly faster growth of 4.0 percent is expected in 2020. For the remaining three years of the financial plan we project growth in tax revenues will average 3.6 percent annually, with total tax revenue reaching nearly $70.6 billion in 2023.
These are not whacky wide eyed optimists at the IBO. They tend to be cautious. This is what the report says about slowing economic growth:
Consistent with our expectation of slower near-term U.S. economic growth, IBO projected that local economic growth would also decelerate towards the end of this year and— especially—throughout 2020.
Let's review the overall picture. City tax revenue grew 8.5% for fiscal year 2018; 2019 should see a rise of another 3.6% in tax revenue; then the forecast is for 4% tax revenue increase in 2020 and for the next three years 3.6% increases. That's a lot of new money coming into the city coffers!
Question for UFT members: Aren't you ecstatic that your union negotiated salary increases of about 2% annually for you through most of 2022? Also, aren't you even more thrilled that you have to pay for part of those increases with healthcare savings?
My wife's UFT election ballot came in the mail yesterday. I can't see how anyone votes for Mulgrew/Unity, the person and caucus who negotiated for paltry raises with healthcare givebacks in 2014 and 2018 while the city economy soared. Also, please don't forget we are still waiting for half of the backpay for raises we were entitled to from 2009-2011 that other city unions received back then but we won't be paid back in full for until 2020.
When my ballot arrives, I'm voting for Lydia Howrilka/Solidarity. (That's me speaking, not ICEUFT which did not want to vote on endorsing candidates after dropping support for MORE, a caucus that does not believe in due process or New Action, a caucus that is not even running officer candidates.)
I know Mulgrew has name recognition and patronage goodies to give out so he will win easily but could readers please spread the word.
14 comments:
I voted Solidarity as well. Last time around I voted MORE. However, they are now so off the beaten path of reality that I could never vote for them. Solidarity is the only caucus that is 100% dedicated to teacher working conditions. I know they won't win but I want to send a message to Mulgrew that says I am sick of his shit and that I am sick of MORE's commie nonsense.
MORE is no more commie than many in ICE are. Name one commie act of MORE. And MORE is no more commie than it was when you voted for it last time.
Solidarity is dedicated to teacher working conditions on paper. Show us where they did more than talk about it in the past few years?
MORE had candidates not of the organized left last election including my wife and I as officers. We're all out of MORE now. MORE also ran with NAC last time. I believe there may have been some real life actual registered Republicans on the joint slate.
Lydia Howrilka/ Solidarity is the best choice now. I noticed one of the founding members of ICE, John Lawhead, is running for HS exec bd with Solidarity. John certainly is left of center as are others in Solidarity. They seem to me to include left, center, right and apolitical just like the UFT membership.
Look at Don't Tread on Educators for what Solidarity has done and is doing for members.
Unity and MORE don't care even on paper about working conditions.
They all suck. The only solution is to opt out.
MORE are full on commies but that is not why I am not voting for them. Solidarity is the only caucus that I can see that actually has a website that leads teachers to fight the DOE. And from my experience, they are the only group of people who actually responds to questions that I have in regard to the contract. Yeah, yeah, I know how much drama there has been around Solidarity with Portellos, but who cares? That dude has mad heart just like all the candidates on his ticket. For Christ sake, the person running for president in Solidarity is untenured and was discontinued by the DOE but she fought and won. What more balls or estrogen do you need in a caucus other than that? How awesome would it be to see this group of people "sitting at the table" with the DOE during the next round of contract talks? Mulgrew needs to get off his high horse and go back to the wood shop. There is a new breed in town and it is time for a change.
From Ed Notes:
From Ed Notes:
Unitymustgo! has left a new comment on your post "UFT Election Update: I Vote Thrice":
From reading yours and a few other blogs my decision is to just check off Solidarity. As a long time reader I know of whom you speak. My understanding is that person has been minimized. Solidarity seems like the best choice if you want to send a message to Unity. What that message is I have no real idea. Any vote not for Unity is more like one water drop making a ripple in the ocean. Not gonna even be felt by ocean liner Unity. I'm not naive, but I also refuse to give up on the dream of a vital, responsive, open minded union that is actually interested in what it's members have to say. I would never had thunk it, but I'd recommend Solidarity to your readers.
You do understand that one of the reasons we got low percents is pattern bargaining?
UFT could have tried to fight it, but historically it’s a non starter.
I think teachers should get the extra 1% uniformed union people get because of school violence and we are expected to protect our students like we are uniformed people.
The problem with Solidarity is just what you say James and others - a web site but few active people in the schools. How about all you Solidarity voters join the caucus and go to a meeting if they ever hold them. You can't fight Unity from the internet. It has to be hand to hand combat in the schools, at the DA and Ex Bd and most of you seem to be in the witness protection program. Until you stand up it is just noise. In 3 years you will be in the same position.
James is right -- MORE, ICE, New Action and even Solidarity have socialists. Unity was founded by socialists -- and few if any socialists are fans of the Soviet or Stalin style. The problem lies with the hard-core Leninists who have turned MORE into a vanguard style party instead of the mass organization it started out as. They view their role as using their UFT activism to bring socialist ideas into play. I'm not opposed to that and could even support some of the activities but they shouldn't pretend they are a caucus instead of a sect. That is dishonest and false advertising. And with the blow-up going on in ISO over the cover up of a rape which has the biggest faction in MORE we may see some further dislocations.
The UFT set the pattern of 10% total over 7 years in 2014.
I'm a veteran teacher in the DOE for over 20 years. I have had many questions in the recent past. Solidarity were literally the only people who would respond to my emails. They know the contract and procedure 100% and are willing to help any teacher in the trenches. They have my vote for sure.
Sure, this is what Solidarity does:
On a daily basis we field messages from many members who find no help from the union and we guide them on what they can do.
Our website toolbox is second to none for online member resources. Uftsolidarity.org/toolbox
We found schools were advising subs and not giving then their contractual prep. So we put a form out for evidence and emailed all the schools, DOE and CSA to stop that practice and they did.
We created a site to opt out from horrible state testing optthemout.com
We created the UFT Exec Bd One Click so members can reach out to the UFT leadership and board easier. Uftsolidarity.org/oneclick
We pushed and helped set up an age discrimination suit for OACE UFT members and ATRs.
We set up and manage the Administrators in Need of Improvement list www.dtoe.org/anoi
We set up and manage the growing ATR Alliance group.
We set up and manage the Discontinued UFT member email list and share vacancies with them.
We educate members on a daily basis and try to give them hope and inspire them to fight back while their Unity reps continuously just say "Just be happy you have a job."
I could keep going...
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