Statement from Lillian Roberts responding to the Mayor's
Executive Budget presentation

"What the Mayor presented is an outrage that puts both the city's economic recovery and its safety at risk. His previous announcement of 5,000 layoffs—and the possibility of another 10,000—will not only destroy our jobs but will devastate the schools, libraries, hospitals, cultural institutions, and other public services that millions of New Yorkers depend on, especially the poor, minority and immigrant communities.

"Our union will be hit particularly hard because DC 37 represents everyone from school lunchroom workers to zookeepers, clerical workers, hospital aides, social workers, road repairers, architects, accountants, and hundreds of other titles. We are about 60% women of whom at least 30% are single moms. Most of our members make between $18,000 and $29,000 per year and 85% of them live in the city. These are the faces behind the numbers the Mayor is talking about. In this economy, many of these workers will be forced on to unemployment. After that, they could join the ranks of welfare. As the welfare rolls grow, all New York taxpayers will bear this burden. Communities and businesses dependent on these workers will be devastated. Children and families will suffer. Where is the economic sense in this?

"So many more steps should be taken before reverting to these extreme measures. We call for talks, rather than threats. We have lobbied Albany to assure New York City gets its fair share. We submitted three reports that made the case for the city to end the $1 billion in waste we clearly identified, before resorting to layoffs. The City Council has estimated $60 million in savings in the Department of Education from our reports. The Council also endorsed another part of our report that called for hiring 2,292 civilians at NYPD, which would generate $98 million in savings. We are insisting that every single private contract be reviewed before any city employee's job is put in jeopardy. The City Council has agreed to hold hearings on this subject, and the state will hold hearings on April 28. Real savings come from ending expensive contracts and high-priced consultants rather than laying off thousands of loyal, hard-working city workers.

"We will fight for our members jobs in the courts, in the streets, in every way we can. We will fight not just for our members, but for all New Yorkers whose quality of life is imperiled by the callousness of politicians who have failed to act in the best interest of the citizens of New York."