Public Employee Press

Union pressure held off the firing of 78 Office Machine Aides.
Finance Dept. workers battle layoffs

By GREGORY N. HEIRES

Union activists from Locals 375 and 1113 rallied Dec. 21 at City Hall Park to protest the layoffs that the city had scheduled for more than 100 Finance Dept. employees.

The demonstrators blasted the agency's plan to fire front-line employees who bring in millions of dollars in revenue and hire new managerial employees at six-figure salaries.

The targeted employees included 78 Office Machine Aides, many of them hired under a program to help workers with disabilities. The city later agreed to postpone their layoffs until May but axed the other workers in January.

The workers rallied just after six consultants were charged with stealing an astounding $80 million in the troubled CityTime payroll project. Angry speakers and demonstrators highlighted the absurdity of the Bloomberg administration's contention that it needs to get rid of thousands of civil servants while it wastes millions upon millions of dollars on outside contractors who often receive outlandish salaries.

The protesters carried signs reading "Tax Wall Street, Don't Cut City Workers" and "City Workers Didn't Create This Crisis. No Layoffs!" They broke into chants of "No Layoffs! No Layoffs!" as they responded to speakers' sharp criticism of the Bloomberg administration's unjust firings.

"Eighty million dollars is a lot of money and could have saved a lot of jobs," said Local 154 President Juan Fernandez.

"Why should we be laid off when money is going to out-of-state contractors?" said DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts, who for years has denounced the city's $10 billion annual spending on outside contracts. "They should not cut any services or city jobs until we know what's happening to that money."

Local 375 President Behrouz Fathi noted the irony that the administration cites $6 million in savings to justify the 120 job cuts at the Dept. of Finance while the $80 million CityTime heist suggests that untold sums are being wasted on contracts.

Deborah Pitts, president of Local 1113, which represents the OMAs, noted that many of the workers on the layoff list have modest salaries. Bloomberg, she said, hopes to turn the city into a "haven for the rich."

Other speakers included City Council member Letitia James, DC 37 Treasurer Maf Uddin, Local 375 Secretary Jon Forster and members Cheryl Couch and Hyacinth Cooper, and leaders of Locals 299, 371, 1507, the DC 37 Retirees Association and the Organization of Staff Analysts.

"They have waged a war against workers," said Local 375 Organizing Committee chair Josh Bennett, who chaired the rally. "Organized labor needs to respond."