Public Employee Press

City decimates Tax map unit

Implementing Mayor Bloomberg's recent budget modification, the Finance Dept. decimated its unit of Tax Map Cartographers in January, eliminating all but three jobs there.

The 12 Local 375 members are mainly long-time employees with 25 to 30 years' experience in the vital real estate, property tax and land records work. Because of their seniority rights, nine were offered the opporunity to work at other agencies.

Demiana Markos and Tom Mooney Jr. said eliminating the jobs was a move by the agency to replace professional employees with lower-paid, less-skilled workers.

"These layoffs will cause severe damage, because we are the link between lawyers, architects, surveyors, professional engineers and owners," said Markos, noting that the group collectively represents 300 years of experience.

The Cartographers collect the documents needed - including deeds, surveys, title searches, tax maps and easements - for projects that range from home purchases to major commercial developments and even widening city streets to move ahead.

Eliminating the jobs will jeopardize the integrity of property and tax records and cause backlogs in the land use process, say the workers.

"How can they do this to people with 25 to 30 years with the department who have played by the rules?" asked Mooney.