District Council 37 Holds Congressional Briefing to Discuss the Impact of Federal Funds on Jobs & Services

WHAT: 

New York City receives billions of dollars in federal funding to provide services for education, health, social services and other vital programs.  In recent years, the city has shifted the responsibility of delivering these federally-funded services to private contractors. The city's procurement policy has wasted billions of dollars on consultants while laying off hundreds of dedicated civil servants who are qualified under the merit and fitness provision of the NYS Civil Service Law.  The waste is a direct result of the city's lack of oversight which has put in jeopardy the safety net providing services for the city's most vulnerable population. This misguided policy also denies job opportunities for the city's residents at a time of slow economic recovery and high unemployment.

As a prime example, the city laid off 642 of the lowest paid city workers, in titles like school aides and parent coordinators, while the Department of Education squandered more than a billion dollars on private consultants.

This forum is designed to inform our elected officials and the public of the current problems caused by the city's wasteful practices and to make recommendations for solutions as they pertain to the misuse of federal funds. 

WHEN:      

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon

WHERE:    

District Council 37 Headquarters

Room 1, 125 Barclay Street, New York, N.Y. 10007

WHO:      

DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts

DC 37 Associate Director Oliver Gray

DC 37 Associate Director Henry Garrido

DC 37 Research & Negotiations Sr. Asst. Dir. Moira Dolan

New York Congress member Charles Rangel

New York Congress member Carolyn Maloney

New York Congress member Yvette Clarke

New York Congress member Edolphus Towns

New York Congress member Jerrold Nadler          

New York City Comptroller John Liu

NYS Deputy Comptroller for Budget and Policy Analysis, Tom Nitido

NYC Central Labor Council President Vincent Alvarez

NYS AFL-CIO Chief of Staff Mario Cilento

Fiscal Policy Institute Deputy Director & Chief Economist James Parrott

Members of the New York City Council and NYS Legislature

Presidents and Members of District Council 37 Locals

Contact: 

Zita Allen, Communications Director

Molly Charboneau

Rudy Orozco

212-815-1535