Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said Wednesday that the city would withhold across-the-board pay increases for public school teachers and principals for the next two years to “save the jobs of some 4,400 teachers.”
“This was not an ideal decision and it certainly does not solve all our budget issues,” Mr. Bloomberg said in a statement, which was released minutes after he had notified Michael Mulgrew, the president of the city teachers’ union.
“In our conversation this morning,” Mr. Bloomberg said, “Michael Mulgrew and I agreed that we would go together to Albany and Washington to press our case to restore more education funding.”
But the move drew immediate condemnation from Mr. Mulgrew, who said that the mayor did not have the power to take such a step. The union’s last contract with the city expired in October, and negotiations are at an impasse.
Full story: Mayor to Cancel Teachers’ Raises, Averting Layoffs – NYTimes.com