There are mostly positive numbers in the latest Comptroller's Financial Report. Comptroller Scott Stringer is once again projecting the city will end the 2020 fiscal year with yet another budget surplus. As for the city economy, Comptroller Stringer's report states:
Both the national and local economies continued to grow in the first nine months of 2019, making the current expansion the longest on record. However, the 2019 growth in the national economy slowed to an annual rate of 2.4 percent from 3 percent in 2018. In contrast, growth in the local economy picked up slightly in the first nine months of 2019 to an annual rate of 2.9 percent, marginally above the 2.7 percent growth over the same period in 2018. The Comptroller’s Office expects both the national and local economies to continue growing in 2020 through 2023, but at a more moderate pace, fueled by consumer spending, low inflation, and accommodative monetary policy by the Federal Reserve.
On wages, the report says:
The tight labor market led to an increase in average hourly earnings. On a year-over-year basis, average hourly earnings in the City grew 4.1 percent during the first ten months of 2019 to $37.55, surpassing the nation’s 3.1 percent growth. It was also the biggest jump since the City posted 8.1 percent growth in 2008 (Chart 3). The New York metro area inflation rate was 1.6 percent during the same period, yielding a growth in real incomes.
So the city economy grew at 2.9% and wages in the city rose by 4.1%. Stringer is projecting continued economic growth through 2023. How about a 4.1% salary increase for city employees? No, we have Mike Mulgrew and the other union leaders who don't understand what it means to be in a booming economy with a tight labor market and still agreed to healthcare concessions and paltry raises. At the rank and file level, union members should be demanding a fair share of the pie but we are not.
The UFT does have union dropouts who think they can opt out of the union to make the union fight to get us larger raises even though they have shown zero evidence that this strategy has ever worked anywhere at any time for any group of workers to improve salary or working conditions. Showing this report to fellow teachers might wake a few up.
On the Absent Teacher Reserve situation, Stringer's report says this:
Two other notable efficiencies initiatives are in the Department of Education (DOE). The DOE will further centralize procurement practices, which is projected to generate savings of $10 million annually. In addition, DOE is offering an Absent Teacher Reserve (ATR) severance program to encourage teachers in the ATR to leave the City payroll. The severance program is estimated to produce savings of approximately $11 million in FY 2020 and $30 million annually in FY 2021 and beyond.
The DOE is expecting many ATRs to leave. This is somewhat troubling as the severance package that has been offered is only worth it if you are young and have another job lined up or if you are a veteran and are already eligible to retire.
On the City Pension funds, I received this in the mail from Stringer along with my statement for the final quarter of 2019:
Protecting our city's pension system is one of my top priorities as Comptroller, and that means working to strengthen the city's fiscal condition. A report just issued by my office--the annual Comprehensive Annual Financial Report--showed that our Bureau of Public Finance, working with the Mayor's Office of Management and Budget, generated $935.99 million in budgetary savings by refunding outstanding bonds of the City, the Transitional Finance Authority and the Water Authority, over the lifetime of those bonds. At the same time, our Bureau of Asset Management reported $207.9 billion in pension assets in the last fiscal year--an increase of $12.1 billion, for a 7.2 percent return. We're working to keep the pension system strong and ensure a dignified retirement for those who helped build this city.
Nice to see we are getting decent returns on the pension assets and that the overall city economy is doing so well.
55 comments:
guess we can kiss that early retirement buyout goodbye.
But after reading this I think I should pay dues... LOL. GLAD I OPTED OUT.
Par for the course. Typical uft.
Scab! 5:05.
Yeah, I'll take the scab name. Every day I am proven correct. Every day there is a new article. Every day the uft is proven to be worthless.
Agree with 505. Every time James posts info, it proves the point. The uft is bad, but keep paying them. Yeah, right.
What will the severance package look like?
Is a severance package different from the buyout offered last year to ATRs?
Read the posting.
"The UFT does have union dropouts who think they can opt out of the union to make the union fight to get us larger raises even though they have shown zero evidence that this strategy has ever worked anywhere at any time for any group of workers to improve salary or working conditions. Showing this report to fellow teachers might wake a few up."
When has your strategy succeeded? Like never. It is pure selfishness. I am staying to get a better union.
I would assume severance package will be the same as last year until you hear something else 5:43.
Should I post the definition of a scab again?
I’d love to see ATRs, newbies and veteran teachers join together start a HS Union and do a financial drone strike on Mulgrew and Weingarten’s UFT. Then there would be dancing in the halls of every city school. I truly hate the UFT and a SCAB is not the same as a bunch of SCUMBAGS sitting around collecting double everything while teachers are being tortured. I knew three active teachers that committed suicide in the last two years. Their families don’t want to publicize it - otherwise I’d list their names. You won’t read about that in the NY Teacher or NY Post crap paper - the UFT knows.
Paying dues hasnt worked either, as this post, and a million others illustrate.
With this union, proud to be a scab. Keep paying that $62 a check and getting nothing, sucker. Wake up.
My point exactly...Easy for them to say...Instead of directing anger at the scab, make a difference, tell untiy NO MORE. "I truly hate the UFT and a SCAB is not the same as a bunch of SCUMBAGS sitting around collecting double everything while teachers are being tortured. I knew three active teachers that committed suicide in the last two years."
Email Mulgrew ans paste this article about 4.1% and 2.9%. Ask him why we just got 17% for 11 years.
Scabs and scumbags. Problem is leadership and membership. That Bryant guy is right.
So let me get this straight, if I started paying dues again, I wouldn't be a scab, and everything would remain the same. Would that make you happy. Its proven not to work. I'll keep the money. I'm still waiting for just a little clarity about how my dies the last 20 years has paid off. Or dues going forward. Sorry, not falling for it anymore. You make your decision. I made mine. You, after 35 years can see if all those dues made any changes. They had 20 years of my dues to show their worth. Now let them prove it when I'm not forced to pay.
We as a collective are the UFT, not Mulgrew. Leadership and membership are the problem. Bryant guy totally right. Enjoy your 30 pieces of silver scab.
Hey Scab, What have you done to make the situation better?
I agree with 838pm. I have emailed sill a million times about the hardship travel clause. I've worked in brooklyn while living in staten island. 19 years waiting. I applied to every single vacancy on the open market, in every borough, this past summer just to prove a point. Over 200 applications plus emails to principals. I got 2 interviews. None in staten island. This happens every year. "We cant force a principal to hire you" just doesn't work as an answer. Not for two decades.
I paid all these years. I thought that was my job to make a better union. James keeps saying if people drop out it will be worse. i stayed in and it got worse.
It will get worse if we don't organize to build a strong union from the ground up.
Yeah, keep saying that. Keep making excuses. Enough, until it actually improves.
Great news, only 4 months away from Open market.
Better than cutting off your nose to spite your face.
These scabs seem like typical self centered right wing assholes. UFT is better off without them. They bring nothing to the table. They cannot even convince fellow teachers to join them. Ignore their bullshit. Kids might not like them either.
The UFT only wants one thing brought to the table from it members - money ; absolutely nothing else. Right wing, left wing, asshole, moron, genius or scab - just keep those dues a’comin, Mike and crew got a lot of Xmas bills to pay off, and things can always be worse for you, and you’re lucky to have a job.
I thought James was trying to build a new, better union. Where? Show me the convincing. Show me the change. You have 100,000+ dues payers, teachers, paras, etc...What have those people done other than keep paying for lackluster service?
What have you done? Zero.
I’m 40 and an ATR.
Let me collect 35-40 percent of my pension starting now and give me full medical and I’m gone.
So all of us have done nothing.
It's not surprising that DC-37 and the UFT have had the highest amount of dues defections. The UFT is over 10% of the city total.
The UFT is the biggest union. In terms of percentage of members dropping out, it has one of the lowest percentages leaving. All the dropouts (scabs) seem to read this pro union blog to try to convince malcontents to leave. All you are going to succeed in is getting ICE as an organization to shut James down. Stupidity be thy name.
I read on another blog that the UFT will find out you don't pay your dues and will tell the school to target you and they won't protect you because you are not paying. I know it sounds crazy, but I wouldn't put anything past this doe and UFT. It's a damned if you do, damned if you don't scenario. I'm also an ATR and just got my last longevity pay (22 years). I'm making top salary just for babysitting classes. I don't lesson plan and don't grade. My afternoons and evenings are free, but I hate it. I'd much rather be teaching full time. The people complaining about ATRs should be the teachers who are doing 10 times or more work than ATRs. Also, it's true, very few people are taking the buyout except for retirees. $50,000 less taxes doesn't go far in the long run. Also, don't rely on open market. I've gotten 2 interviews since becoming an ATR a year and a half ago. One last thing is I don't think Diblassio is going to shut down anymore schools since that will only put more ATRs into the pool. I think the best thing to do is just keep buying our time because the system is just going to keep on deteriorating.
The UFT does not protect you much if you pay your dues. I pay anyway. Still worth it to have some backing.
1256, if what you say is true, the uft is telling the doe who to target, that is indded corrupt and shows the uft is worthless. 2nd, I dont give a shit, i was smart enough to invest and save long ago knowing that i had no interest in doing this until 55 years old, i am worth 2 million dollars, come and get me, fire me...To threaten me with the fact that the uft wont help me, they never did...
I opted out and got a highly effective on my first observation. The uft cant even do that right.
Quote 208, the uft does nothing, i pay anyway...
So if the uft tells the doe to fire certain people...Based on what, bad ratings? How many years would that take anyway? And guess what, all that teacher has to do is record on their cell phone, sow exactly what is going on in any given school building...Who is the fool then? Record the students in the hall, students n cell phones, students play fighting...The NY Post would love to contact you and your principal for an explanation. Copy and past report card grades matched up with attendance and send sample of writing.
Beating the constitutional convention in 2017 to save our pensions was enough to get me to stay in the union. That doesn't happen without strong unions. People forget that.
You mean after the 8.25 dropped to 7%, 17% in raises over 11 years, holding 50k of money with no interest for 11 years, slowly implementing agreed to raises, no discipline code, open market fraud, grade fraud, etc...
Most people dont even know what they are voting for, see the 2014 and 2018 contracts.
Except for anonymous comments online, what are you doing to convince your colleagues they are being fucked over? Answer, absolutely nothing.
7% fixed guaranteed Besides CSA and PSC getting 8.25% who gets a guaranteed 7% rate of return? Real likely without a union? Not
Every school I go to, I tell everyone I come in contact with. The point is that it got worse. Why are they giving instead of getting. Of course 7 is good...
"Of course 7 is good." All of us benefit from what UFT does. We all should pay for it and make it better.
How about...Why has the uft never asked to change our retirement sick bank into 1 for 1? If I saved 200 days, should I not get 200 days? How about 75? How about two thirds. I guess they dont care or cant negotiate. After all these years...
Yeah, I agree with 922. Always wondered. It almost makes sense just to be absent 10 times a year. That way, you get 1 for 1. I should show up every day and then take a 50% penalty? It could've been made better slowly. At some point, make it 60%, then 70%, then 75%. That is negotiating. When asked, uft said it wasnt on the table. Wow. We should get a bonus for saving those days, not be penalized.
In how many non union jobs do workers get paid anything for unused sick time?
Fine, but then I would be absent 10 times a year. Cant have it both ways. If I'm gonna save 10, I should get 10.
Is it sick time or vacation time? They make a big deal saying you better be sick, but then penalize you at the end. Yeah, a benefit, but another poorly structured one, which could have been improved for many decades.
Most Teachers are inherently cheap, and most are also intellectuals. Most, if not all the arguments, to stay or to leave are deeply flawed - if it’s a toss up over what’s the best thing to do, teachers who are afraid will stay in the UFT and those that aren’t will save some money. No one should stay out of fear or leave to save money. The UFT needs to start proving its worth again or there will be a stampede in June. Their answer has been a discount card. The current version of the UFT is doomed - no matter what. Stay and you’re fucked - leave and you’re fucked. Get your staffs together and start demanding change from the UFT. Get arrested in front of 52 or go public with all the shit you know. Embarrass the imposters that aren’t doing their jobs and stop blindly following the sheep over the cliff. The guy you’re calling a scab is your brother and the guy your abandoning to the UFT is your brother. Bloomberg divided and destroyed teacher unionism in NYC, and Mulgrew has not attempted to fix it, ( which remains very doable!) because what keeps us apart keeps him and his direct followers in power. This is clearly evident in all the unchallenged Bloomberg policies that hurt us - Fair Student Funding, unchecked principals, the ATR farce, the grade fraud, the safety fraud and disgusting platitudes that speak volumes- things can always be worse and you’re lucky to have a job.
I've been afraid, not anymore. I want to leave anyway. And it definitely isn't to save money. Not paying has been after all these years of disrespect, fraud, literally getting physically assaulted by students...uft has never helped.
Are you sure there is a surplus because this article from Chalkbeat is saying something else. According to the article, there is a 6 billion dollar budget gap. And education is where they will be covering up for some of it.
Link to article: https://chalkbeat.org/posts/ny/2020/01/16/mayor-de-blasios-budget-proposal-calls-for-cuts-to-nyc-teacher-training/
State and city are two entirely different entities. Stae has gap but city finances are sound.
Pardon my ignorance, but it seems as though the gap in state finances is affecting the city finances. He is asking city agencies to cut their budgets, is holding a partial hiring freeze, no funding for the MTA and other such similar matters. The article below discusses the city's $1 billion shortfall in personal tax revenue.
Link to article: https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/politics/2019/02/07/bill-de-blasio-calls-for-budget-cuts-for-2020-fiscal-year-nyc-painting-grim-economic-future
The only reason I post is because it seems to conflict the news mentioned in this blog post.
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