I know this won’t be popular here- but retired city workers have absurd benefits in many cases. Newer workers have more reasonable contracts, but it’s kind of ridiculous how much of our city’s taxes that older and retired workers drain.

Not his fault that previous administrations overpromised, but ain’t no way in hell that gets passed without union negotiations.

Hudson Yards received something like $6 billion in public subsidies. I’m alright with some better than average benefits for retired city workers.

That’s completely irrelevant to the discussion at hand.

Just because one bad thing happened (and its arguable if subsidies are even bad), doesn’t mean we should allow a seperate unrelated bad thing to happen.

I don’t think it’s a bad thing that retired city workers are enjoying nice benefits. I’d rather they get tax payer subsidies than some vacant, soulless parking lot for obscene wealth.

It seems like there is some fuzzy math here. While there is no doubt Hudson Yards got some benefits. Half the 6 billion was the cost if the 7 line extension. That is something that should of happened one way or another. It's not fair to say the cost of a subway extension is a subsidy to a large building project.

It makes no sense that city workers don't go on Medicare like every other American. It's unaffordable to fund retirees Healthcare when there is a good federal system. I have read 20% of the city budget goes towards retire costs. Then ask yourself why city infrastructure and many other programs are underfunded.

Medicare Advantage isn't Medicare.

Many of the city workers accepted Lower pay for their entire career so getting god benefits above others somewhat justifies the lower Salary

Always downvotes, always people screaming that ‘they earned it and it can’t be changed’. No one sees reduced services or higher taxes as a result of keeping these the same

That's what the union and city negotiated at the time. Retired workers earned it and deserve it

I did not say Medicare advantage. I said why does NYC pay for retirees Healthcare at all. Almost every other American relies on Medicare in retirement. If it's good enough for every other American why is it not good enough for workers in NYC.

Paying for Healthcare for city in retirement cost the city I bet costs at least 10% of the NYC budget and there is zero reason for it.

It’s actually 5%

It's about keeping contacts. We really do have other stupid ish we can do away with than their benefits.

Because it was negotiated and earned by these workers, period.

People waste time trying to argue why someone else should have less, without ever stopping to ask if we all deserve basic human dignities like medical care or retirement

Lol milton fucking friedman

When it’s my turn to retire and the system is entirely bankrupted instead of just given a haircut I’ll remember at least the boomers never had to make a small sacrifice

Ugh yes I get that and it's unaffordable. The city needs to take a stand and stop this wasteful and unaffordable practice in contract negotiations. Everyone complains how expensive things are and then wonder how could this be. Why is the infrastructure crumbling? Because money that should be used for infrastructure or additional teachers or cops is used to pay a good portion of its budget for something that would be provided by the feds. It's stupid.

OMG some people parrot the same lines over and over again without critical thought or reading. I am not proposing the workers don't have Healthcare. I am proposing they just have the same government funded Healthcare that is good enough and every other American in the country.

Why does NYC have to pay for lifetime Healthcare when a the federal government will pay the bill.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe retirees do go on Medicare at 65, and the city pays the 20% that Medicare doesn't cover.

One should not play with the unions like this. History teaches why.

> During a contentious Council Labor Committee hearing earlier this month, Adams administration officials said that if the Council does not adopt the 12-126-tweaking bill by Jan. 26, they would move ahead with the drastic option of eliminating all health insurance options for retirees besides Medicare Advantage

Problem is the money has to come from somewhere. Budget needs to be cut. City padded the last few years with Covid money.

We gotta fight for ours but we WILL FIGHT

[removed]

Can you please start fighting the government to properly fund these pensions as well then

Yeah, I think it's time for a bipartisan protest bc it appears voters from both sides worry about this and Americans, we protest differently

This was negotiated with concessions from the union side. To now come in and take that away is ridiculous. The same deal would t have been reached if the employees knew this benefit was bullshit.

Lose-lose situation for city workers.

Not the city worker’s fault the city didn’t budget their money correctly.

These pensions are well-funded. Most pensions are at or close to 100% funded. The notable exception is the fire department and police department, which are about 40-60% funded, and that’s only because of the unexpected number of 9/11-related disability claims in recent years, and even those pensions are getting better in terms of their funding.

This was solely about rising healthcare costs, not the pensions themselves. Retirees were in a lose-lose situation here - it was either allow the city to increase the amount retirees pay for healthcare, or they would eliminate all but the Medicare Advantage plan for retirees. This bill is dead, so Adams will stop offering other healthcare plans.

This certainly wasn’t a ‘win’ for retirees.

Someone has to do the hard work of negotiating down these absurd benefits. I'm glad Adams isn't kicking the can like everyone else.

Ok, no garbage pickup city wide all next summer. Enjoy!

Let him try, would be great if every city employee went on strike.

Workers gave their lives to their jobs, at lower than market salary, many for 30+ years, investing in their pensions over that time... and you think Adams should ROB them of their money?

You are obviously a corporate stooge. Vile, disgusting and VERY likely a criminal. Betting you're a "conservative."

Then they should pay the market rate for labor. Pensions should be illegal. They are a way for dishonest politicians to make promises that they themselves won't have to deliver.

If you haven't checked Adams has a (D) by his name. You can blame your failed Democrat leadership for the state of the city.

That is a ridiculous argument. For city employees, both the salary and pensions come from the same place. Tax dollars... so your solution is self nullifying.

Clearly you have a personal agenda and no idea what you are talking about.

Pensions are ponzi schemes. So is social security. They are conceptually unethical.

Now I know you have no idea what you are talking about. Bet you lost hard on crypto (the real ponzi schemes).
Unethical is trying to rob people of their long invested in and earned entitlements. The GOP has been trying to rob people of their money for 50 years. There isn't a republican alive who understands fiscal responsibility worth a damn... it's just another empty card in their non-existent platform.

Those who cannot see that are either enemies of the USA, or morons.

Look at the what we conservatives did for the post office. They tried to pull the same shady stunt with pensions. Now we've forced them to pay for retirements as they go, so thirty years from now they won't hold the government hostage demanding a bailout.

This is what fiscal responsibility looks like. It's hard choices, and a lot of people not getting what they want.

Again, you're exceedingly ill-informed and positively reek of personal agenda (lacking common sense).

I'm done being bored with you.