Mayor Bloomberg Calls for Massive Layoffs at NYC Agencies
Thousands of teaching jobs to be cut
Updated: Thursday, 18 Nov 2010, 6:39 PM EST
Published : Thursday, 18 Nov 2010, 8:30 AM EST
MYFOX NEW YORK STAFF REPORT
MYFOXNY.COM - New York City will lay off thousands of workers, eliminate many open jobs, shutter some firehouses at night, and fill fewer potholes in the next year and a half to help close a huge budget hole, Mayor Bloomberg announced Thursday. Most of the job cuts are teaching positions.
"We've kept the city's financial house in order through these difficult times by planning ahead and never shying away from making the hard decisions, and our current budget remains balanced because of that sound approach," Mayor Bloomberg said in a statement. "But we face a significant challenge for next year, as federal stimulus dollars run dry and the city still suffers from the impacts of the national economic downturn."
The mayor's November financial plan revised four-year financial plan reveal the need for $1.6 billion in closing actions over the remainder of fiscal 2011 and fiscal 2012. Hiring will be very limited -- only one worker will be hired for every two that leave, according to a news release from the mayor's office.
The mayor's plan includes eliminating 6,166 teaching positions, 350 civilian positions at the NYPD, 51 correction officer jobs, 200 Sanitation Department supervisor posts, 59 call taker positions at the 311 call center, and many more, according the news release.
The plan would also close 20 fire companies overnight, reduce the work year from 12 months to 9 months for more than 1,400 Parks Department workers, eliminate funding for mental retardation and developmental disability clinical programs, and close public libraries an addition day a week.
The Department of Transportation would also lay off for one week 641 street maintenance and arterial resurfacing employees, which means 9,000 fewer potholes would be filled, according to the mayor's office.
Overall, the city government's headcount would drop by 2,102 employees in the current fiscal year and by 8,264 in fiscal year 2012.
Many of the jobs to be eliminated are already vacant and some would occur through attrition, but layoffs are planned as well.
"More spending reductions are going to be necessary, and we have to continue to reduce the number of employees we have by not filling positions -- we simply cannot afford the size of our current workforce," Bloomberg said.