Posts tagged budget
Letters: About Unionizing
October 26, 2026 // It is easy to get people excited by telling them you are going to get them a raise, but it is a bit more difficult to say where the money is going to come from. Most of the time, it comes from cutting other departments or ancillary staff. When cutting staff isn’t an option, the extras are cut instead. Housing, mortgage assistance, scholarships, daycare, the gym, etc.: Some of it will most certainly be cut to cover the increase in pay for nurses. The article lists the amount executives made as a means to cause Us vs Them mentality. I am uncertain what the author thinks executives make at most companies. I find it highly unlikely you could find a business with as many employees as Cottage where the executives aren’t making that amount or more. I am not saying I would say no to a raise, but to insinuate executives at union hospitals make less so they can pay their nurses more is simply not factually accurate.
Union workers accuse N.J. mayor of targeting members in wave of layoffs
September 17, 2026 // “We cannot spend what we do not have or continue practices that our finances cannot sustain,” Hyatt said. “We must make difficult choices today to protect the financial health of our Township tomorrow.” Hyatt submitted a 2026 layoff plan to the New Jersey Civil Service Commission, with notifications posted in municipal buildings and township departments.
Opinion: Gavin Newsom’s mind-boggling record of giveaways to unions
August 25, 2026 // Richer government contracts and expanded public employee benefits don’t come from nowhere. They land on taxpayers — the same taxpayers already staring down the nation’s highest gas prices, some of the steepest home insurance increases in the country and a cost of living that keeps pushing people out of the state entirely.
More homeless shelter layoffs
August 11, 2026 // On Aug. 15 and 31, 11 workers will have their last day. Do Good Multnomah case manager Davis Nafshun, a member of the union bargaining team, says it’s the fourth round of layoffs in the last year. During that time, the non-profit’s workforce has shrunk from about 250 to about 195, even as the number of homeless in Portland has risen. Workers at Do Good Multnomah make at least $26.30 an hour, but have received no raises since they unionized in September 2024 and began bargaining March 2025. They’re proposing raises of 5% to 10% and a pay scale that rewards years of service. On the other side of the bargaining table, Davis says management’s wage proposal would cut pay $1,500 a year for more than 90% of staff.
Pritzker says he won’t support new state taxes for CPS
August 3, 2026 // The final version included an amendment from board members aligned with the Chicago Teachers Union, which agreed the state should provide the district with an additional $150 million to assist in covering the district’s deficit. Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch told members of CTU a day before the board’s vote that he’s committed to putting forward legislation to give CPS more state funds, but didn’t mention how much he thought the state could provide. “I will lead that effort in the veto session. We got two weeks in November that we can get it done and you got my support 100%,” Welch said.
Op-ed: Kathy Hochul’s Get-Past-November Budget
May 28, 2026 // Now for the category of making the state less affordable: Democrats reversed some of the state’s 2012 pension reforms. Teachers hired since those reforms will now be able to retire at age 58, instead of 63. The budget also slashes employee contributions to their pensions, and allows police and firefighters to count more overtime pay toward their pension calculations. These pension sweeteners are expected to cost the state and local governments $557 million a year. That will invariably mean higher taxes down the road. Democrats are helping Mr. Mamdani pay for them by allowing the city to re-amortize its pension liabilities, which will save $2.3 billion between this and next year while increasing costs in the long run by $5 billion.
DUNKIRK NY: Mayor responds to contract clamor
April 26, 2026 // Dunkirk Mayor Kate Wdowiasz defended herself against city unions, stating that they are unwilling to negotiate and that city taxpayers can no longer afford their contracts. Wdowiasz said she wanted to “set the record straight” during the phone interview Thursday with the OBSERVER. Union leaders and workers turned out in force on Tuesday during the Common Council meeting. Jake Stern, representing Local 616 and its 24 uniformed firefighters, said during the meeting the union had unanimously voted no confidence in Wdowiasz and city attorney Elliot Raimondo.
New York unions say fixing Tier 6 will drive hiring. Data suggests otherwise.
April 19, 2026 // The situation in Albany, where retirement costs account for about 9% of the city's budget, underscores a reality for many cash-strapped local governments across New York. And the dire financial outlooks are in place as state lawmakers weigh whether to address changes to the Tier 6 state pension system. Rochester, for example, is facing a budget gap of $131 million, the largest in the city's history. Rochester's largest expenditure is its increasing pension and health care costs. Those projected pension costs for the next fiscal year are $74 million. Health care costs for active and retired employees have escalated to $108 million. "This budgetary framework is simply not sustainable," Mayor Malik D. Evans told a state legislative panel last month. "And it threatens the incredible momentum we're making toward violence reduction, job creation, workforce development, affordable housing, home ownership, economic
DIA budget hearing: About 200 employees unionize
April 4, 2026 // Proposed fiscal year 2027 budget: $0 from the City of Detroit. DIA’s current budget is $45.5 million, with revenue generated through ticket sales, fundraising and a tri-county property tax millage. The DIA functions as an independent nonprofit since the city’s bankruptcy.
PCC, classified employees union reach tentative deal that could end strike for 700 workers
March 26, 2026 // Portland Community College and its Federation of Classified Employees union have reached a tentative agreement that could end a strike involving about 700 classified employees and move the college closer to resuming normal operations. The tentative agreement, posted at 6:18 p.m. March 25, includes a 0% cost-of-living adjustment for this year and a 5% cost-of-living adjustment for 2026-27. Classified employees also would receive a $1,350 lump-sum payment upon ratification on the next payroll cycle and would be able to cash out up to 40 vacation hours.