10,000 rally against layoffs/budget cuts in nyc

[Hannah Bell]

Some ten thousand New York City public sector workers rallied at City Hall Wednesday afternoon, June 16, against threatened layoffs and impending budget cuts to various city agencies.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg has proposed more than a billion dollars in cuts that would close a number of firehouses, libraries, senior centers, child care centers, swimming pools and after-school programs, and reduce the number of school nurses.

There has already been a steady cutback in services, together with growing public-sector layoffs. The city cut 20,000 jobs, or 4.3 percent of its workforce, from April 2008 to April 2010...

Despite its significant size, last Wednesday’s rally was barely mentioned by the New York City media.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/jun2010/nypr-j22.shtml


***impending layoffs/cuts include****

- $35 million in city (+ state matching funds) to childrens' services & elimination of 25% of caseload

- ~$500 mill cuts to education (including college-level) + layoffs of 4,400 teachers

- 1000 transit workers