Mayor Bloomberg Faces Off with NY Unions

Jun 12,2013 - Source: Daily News Most of the city’s 300,000-plus employees have spent the last few years working under expired contracts. The result — according to unions and fiscal watchdogs — is a looming financial crisis for both the workers and the city. City employees say their paychecks have not grown with their expenses, with some even saying they are drowning in debt. And Mayor Bloomberg contends the costs of salary increases, health care, pensions and retroactive pay will blow a massive hole into the city’s budget. The unions are hoping to grab control of the debate on Wednesday when the Municipal Labor Committee stages a rally from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at City Hall calling for fair contracts. “This is the first time in history all the unions are out of contracts,” said Harry Nespoli, chairman of the Municipal Labor Committee, a coalition of municipal unions. “For the past four years, (Bloomberg) has cried deficit,” said Nespoli, who also heads the Uniformed Sanitationmen’s Association...