Ingrid Harding, an Assistant Systems Analyst and member of Local 1407, shares a meal with her four children in Brooklyn. After 16 years of working for the city, Ms. Harding became a victim of the mayor's cuts.

By ALFREDO ALVARADO

Assistant Systems Analyst Ingrid Harding is livid — and with very good reason. After working for 16 long years in the payroll unit of the Fire Dept., the Brooklyn resident and single mother unexpectedly finds herself on the city’s expanding unemployment line — another victim of Mayor Bloomberg’s budget cuts.

May 16 was her last day of work. “I’m extremely disappointed,” said Ms. Harding after getting her two-week termination notice in early May. “Why is the city hiring all these temps and provisionals to work there? They have people that have only been on the job a year or two, but they haven’t gotten laid off. I want to know how is that possible?”

As a single parent who cares for four children — Donovan, 4; Kyla, 7; Jenice, 14; and John, 16 — Ms. Harding is suddenly coping with difficult dilemmas.

Providing continued medical care for her 16-year-old diabetic son, who is in high school, is a major concern for her family right now. “I’ve been able to get his medication because of my health plan on the job,” she said. “But now that will stop.”

Fortunately, Ms. Harding is a member of New York City Accountants, Actuaries and Statisticians Local 1407, whose president, Maf Misbah Uddin, fought to stop the layoffs. She will still be eligible for DC 37 prescription drug benefits for another 60 days after her date of termination. And under the federal COBRA law, the city must give her the opportunity to continue her health insurance for another 18 months. (For benefit information, click here.)

“We want members like Ingrid Harding to know that although they have lost their positions with the city, we still consider them part of the DC 37 family,” said Executive Director Lillian Roberts. “We want to do whatever we can to help them get back on their feet.”

Ms. Harding admits to feeling shocked about her sudden layoff — together with four other workers in her department in downtown Brooklyn — and is just beginning to come to grips with the tough realities of her new situation. “I can’t get over it,” she said, shaking her head.

Despite her callous dismissal by the city and the mounting financial pressures she knows will surely follow if she doesn’t find a job soon, Ms. Harding vows to not let the pressure get her down. “I’m not going to sit around waiting. I’ve got a lot of years of experience and skills to offer someone,” she said. “I’m a warrior. That’s what they call me at work.”