EVERYONE IN NYC IS SINGING EMPIRE STATE OF MIND

With NYC schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels under scrutiny for an alleged cover-up of his role in contract violations, teachers' union prez Mike Mulgrew weighed in on the scandal at @UFT's delegate assembly today, telling members: "The chancellor has been very supportive of us, but due process is due process. . . "Right now, I’d say he has a very good working relationship with us. But we don’t need any more distractions.”

New York City is balancing today’s budget by re-amortizing pension costs, effectively pushing billions in obligations into the future and extending the repayment schedule to approximately 2037. Coincidentally, 2037 is also the year New Yorkers will vote on whether to hold a constitutional convention. While pension protections remain fully intact today, a constitutional convention is one of the few avenues through which changes to those protections could be proposed. That’s why public employees should keep a close eye on both. @JohnDMacari @FDNYchic @EricDymCop @FiredDetective

While amortization charges to NYC pension plans isn’t particularly problematic as a one shot deal (although it will cost $ down the road) to plug a budget gap public sector unions especially have to make sure this doesn’t become a habit. Serious opposition to any future amortization is essential especially if there’s a market downturn.

100 year-old retired FDNY firefighter Dan Stromer has a message for @NYCMayor @NYCMayor @MayorsPEU @NYCMayorsOffice We only asked for a meeting. #nycretirees #nycmayor #zohranmamdani #veteran #respect

So, just to be clear, the governor is leaning towards school choice “lite,” class size is being delayed, city pensions are being re ammortized, we will have many less anticipated additional teachers (6000 down to 1000), and we are going to wish away Carter cases by throwing money at special ed that may never reach the schools. Oh, but we have tons of money for boxed curriculums and AI ed tech. Where is the “Respect Check?” The uft is really “doing the work” as they claim 🙄

A breakdown of the "new" $4 billion in aid, much of which we already knew about. The bulk is from authorizing NYC to delay its pension payments. Also includes the $500M from the pied-a-terre tax.

This is what advocating for your cause looks like. Never giving up. @NYCMayor You can’t brand yourself as the champion of workers, retirees, and the “people’s movement” while blocking retirees from even entering City Hall to request a meeting. If retirees who gave decades of service to this city can’t get through the door, then the rhetoric about solidarity is just that: rhetoric.

If you are or were a city worker who is concerned about NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s plan to delay pension payments you should watch this episode youtube.com/live/sewrLgJwaTc…

.@NYCMayor has been contacted via e mail repeatedly by @FDNYchic asking for a meeting to discuss retirees health benefits. Agree or disagree the Mayor should grant her an audience. Marianne speaks for thousands of retired civil servants

If @UFT @FollowCSA and @dc37organize truly came together to create a seperate pattern for their lowest paid workers heading into 2027 negotiations, separate from the highest paid, we could fix this.

#nycretirees need the City Council to protect us. #ZohranMamdani also needs to finally agree to meet with us. He should know he cannot fight an affordability crisis that his own inner circle caused unless he hears about it from the victims of it. @zohrankmamdani @NYCMayor

If City Hall is serious about cutting waste, it should not appoint “Chief Savings Officers” from inside the same agencies being reviewed. You cannot ask a system to investigate itself and expect real accountability. If there is waste, duplication, or politically connected contracting, an insider reporting up the same chain of command is unlikely to expose it. That is not reform. It is rearranging titles. What the city needs is an independent, outside forensic audit with no ties to agency leadership or vendors. Follow the money. Review the contracts. Make the findings public. Real transparency requires independence. Anything less looks symbolic. @madinatoure @SusanBEdelman @katie_honan @cayla_bam @TheChiefLeader @JohnDMacari