A few weeks ago, I reported on this very site that DC 37, the largest municipal union in New York City endorsed William Thompson despite his torpedoing of their pensions through mismanagement and hiring of his cronies. I mused at the time that it would be interesting to see where the UFT went because their pension performed worst under Thompson’s tenure.
Well, it’s now almost the end of October, and the UFT has not endorsed any candidate for NYC Mayor. I honestly never expected them to endorse Bloomberg, but I wondered what would happen when it came time to justify Thompson as their choice. That part of the story just got much more interesting.
Teachers shouldn’t get the 4% raises that other municipal workers have won over the last year, because the city can’t afford it, Controller William Thompson said Wednesday.
“Can you afford 4% in the current environment? Probably not,” the mayoral candidate told the Daily News Editorial Board.
“You’ve always seen municipal unions in times like this sit down and try to work things out with the city of New York.
“If there isn’t money there now … you may not be able to do that raise in these tough times. I think everybody’s very aware of that.”
Mayor Bloomberg has overseen 4% raises for municipal unions over the last year even as the economy collapsed, drawing criticism from budget watchdogs.
Bloomberg has set aside money to pay for 4% teacher raises. “Prudent budgeting requires planning for possible future wage increases,” spokesman Jason Post said. “But there are no increases until an agreement is reached.”
Yep, DC37, who endorsed Thompson got theirs. But the UFT, who may not do the same, may not get that same treatment even as the UFT suffered most under Thompson’s patronage in the management of the Municipal Pension Fund.
And this is the guy who wants to be Mayor.
Say what you want about Bloomberg, but as Don Giuliani ignored teachers for years, Bloomberg’s first order of business on day one of his first term was to give them the contract that Giuliani didn’t for almost 6 years. Bloomberg understands and respects the job teachers do; Thompson doesn’t. He’s probably still bitter about getting booted from the Board of Education, where he presided over record dropout rates and the lowest test scores in the city’s history.
Yep, that Thompson’s a real stickler for education and the teachers of this city, huh?