Mayor cries budget crisis. Must be spring.

It’s budget season in NYC once again, and it’s an annual rite of spring. Just as the buds come out on trees, a NYC mayor declares there is a budget crisis.

Mike Sill is a High School ELA teacher and serves as UFT Assistant Secretary

It’s budget season in NYC once again, and it’s an annual rite of spring. Just as the buds come out on trees, a NYC mayor declares there is a budget crisis. There’s a shortfall and nobody gets what they need.

Remember last year when the mayor said agencies like the DOE needed to cut budgets because of the migrant crisis? That’s out of vogue now—complaining about migrants while the mayor’s benefactor is in the White House makes the president appear weak on immigration. So who better to blame, given his new political affiliations, than organized labor?

So fire up the lawn mowers and bring up the stabilization fund. Threaten workers with healthcare premiums as you start to weed the flower beds. When it rains, the BS pours.

Don’t forget—the city still wants NYC retirees to be pushed onto Medicare Advantage.

Without the UFT, the MLC and the city cannot have Medicare Advantage.

As predicted, the city is bringing up healthcare premiums in an attempt to push the UFT back to the negotiating table on Medicare Advantage.

We ain’t going back.

And we’ll be damned if we ever give up our premium free healthcare.

The city can have as many ideas as possible. And we will explore ideas if they make sense. But the moment it becomes clear that any city plans will harm UFT members, we’re not going for it.”

Medicare Advantage is off the table. Premiums are off the table. Onto plan C. We’re all ears, but only if it makes sense for UFT members.

And when it comes to making sense, the city needs to be truthful about their financial affairs.

Further, rather than fighting with us, the city and the mayor ought to demand federal intervention to stop the out-of-control insurance and pharmaceutical companies. If they did that, maybe they’d be a partner we could work with.

But no, a city that has billions in reserves and who continues to out earn their revenue projections, is claiming to have a financial crisis in an attempt to screw its workers. No thank you Mr. Mayor. Looks like we have more weeding to do.