Plight of OTB retirees
The ultimate sword was plunged into the heart of every city worker on June 28, when the state Court of Appeals decided that neither the city nor the state is liable to pay for OTB retirees' health benefits.
The court failed to understand that this dispute is a moral issue, not about technicalities in the state constitution.
The court has jeopardized the lives of 1,000 OTB retirees by allowing the government to disregard its moral obligation to pay for OTB retirees' health benefits or offer those retirees an affordable alternative to COBRA. The Court of Appeals had not thought seriously about the carnage that will ensue.
The Court of Appeals ruling that it is morally acceptable for the city and state to sacrifice the few for the many is not American ideology. American ideology is to protect the people who cannot defend themselves. In this episode of human tragedy, the court failed itself as well as the people.
—ROBERT SICA
Retiree, Local 2021
Editor's note: With a strong push from the union, legislature to provide the OTB retirees' health coverage was passed by the state legislature this year, but it has not yet reached the governor for signature. See page 9.
Investigate Bloomie
After reading your article in the union paper in regards to sounding the alarm about the lack of accountability and excessive costs of the Bloomberg administration's contracting out, much of it using federal funds, where have you been? It is about time that he is being investigated, and while you're at it, how about checking on what he has done to our schools. Guess nobody has learned as yet that our mayor only cares about his power structure.
—PHYLLIS LEVY
Local 372
Editor's note: Where have you been? PEP has frequently written about the waste and fraud in contracting out that DC 37 and Executive Director Lillian Roberts have exposed, which has fi nally led to contractors being forced to repay hundreds of millions of dollars to the city.
DC 37
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