Public Employee Press

Battle of the Budget
Local leaders slam Bloomberg's cuts

All the fat has been cut from our budget, now we're cutting deeply into the bone.
— Eileen Muller, Local 1482 President

Testifying in March and April hearings, leaders of DC 37 locals called on the City Council to reverse the severe threats to public health, public safety and public service jobs proposed in Mayor Bloomberg's budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

Cliff Koppelman, president of Local 1070 and secretary of DC 37, testified March 8 before the Committee on Fire and Criminal Justice, describing the understaffing crisis that has hit the Dept. of Probation, which supervises criminals released on probation, since last year's layoffs of 45 members.

"In the Bronx we have one member covering the responsibilities of four employees who were laid off," he explained. Despite the overwhelming workload, Probation Commissioner Vincent N. Schiraldi has announced that more staff cuts are coming under Bloomberg's budget.

"We need a budget allocation of at least $2 million dollars to rehire laid-off staff," Koppelman told the committee.

Reversing serious understaffing was also a priority for Local 1549 Second Vice President Ralph Palladino. Hundreds of local members work at the Human Resources Administration as Eligibility Specialists for Food Stamps and Medicaid. While the recession has forced a dramatic increase in people seeking food stamps and applying for Medicaid, there has been no significant increase in hiring and the Bloomberg administration has closed three food stamp centers.

"The waiting time can be as long as six hours and that discourages people from applying and getting the food their families need," Palladino told the General Welfare Committee March 29. "We are asking the City Council to reopen the three centers and hire more Eligibility Specialists."

DC 37 did a study in January and found that if 200 Eligibility Specialists were hired, 2,000 more clients a day could be seen.

Pools could close

If Mayor Bloomberg has his way, the Queens Public Library will lose $27 million and eliminate 150 jobs. "The library has already lost 174 employees - Librarians, Office Aides, Computer Technicians, Drivers, Custodians and more," Queens Library Guild Local 1321 President John Hyslop told the Committee on Cultural Affairs March 13. "We are working more hours with less people and our morale is at an all-time low,"
Hyslop warned.

The Brooklyn Public Library stands to lose 32 percent of its funding and cut 53 jobs through layoffs and attrition. In 2009 the BPL received $100 million in city funds and the mayor is offering just $58 million for next year.

"All the fat has been cut from our budget and now we're cutting deeply into the bone," said Brooklyn Library Guild Local 1482 President Eileen Muller, who was unable to attend the hearing but submitted written testimony. "I strongly urge the City Council to do everything in its power to restore funding to the BPL," she added.

Local 374 President Cuthbert Dickenson represents the libraries' maintenance and security staff. He also was unable to address the committee, but in written testimony he expressed his concern that budget cuts could affect the level of maintenance and create health hazards.

"Due to all of the tourists visiting, the city's museums are generating millions of dollars in revenue, so this $30 million budget cut makes no sense at all," said Local 1559 President Peter Vreeland, who represents workers at the world-famous American Museum of Natural History.

The Dept. of Parks and Recreation is facing a budget cut of $5.8 million. The mayor's plan would lay off 91 workers, close four swimming pools (which he attempted last year), and also close all the pools two weeks early. "This shell game needs to stop," said Local 508 President Peter Stein at the Committee on Parks and Recreation March 22. He reminded the City Council members of the tragic accident in 2010, when two teenagers drowned in the Bronx River. "If pools are closed early, teens will find other places to swim where there are no Lifeguards and they run the risk of drowning," he warned. Two million New Yorkers use the city pools every year.

City parks underfunded

"The parks are already severely underfunded and understaffed. This puts the safety of the public in jeopardy," said Local 983 Vice President Joe Puleo. He also testified Jan. 30 at a joint hearing of the Parks and Public Safety committees, where he pointed out that Parks Enforcement Patrol Officers in his local had been cut from 450 to 96 and cited Police Dept. statistics showing that robberies, rapes and murders in the parks had risen 25 percent.

Local 436 President Judith Arroyo asked Health Committee members to reopen two immunization clinics and restore adequate funding for the Child Health Clinics and the Nurse Family Partnership program, which provides prenatal and postnatal care for first-time mothers.

At the Education Committee hearing on March 29, Local 372 President Santos Crespo Jr. recommended that the $500 million being returned to the city by the CityTime automated payroll project to avoid prosecution on fraud charges be used to rehire school support staff, especially drug counselors and those who lost their jobs last September. "Our Substance Abuse Prevention and Intervention Specialists are on the front lines in the ongoing war on drugs," explained Crespo.