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Age-barred FDNY firefighter hopefuls could get 1-time exemption

FDNY EMTs and paramedics who have aged out of eligibility for the firefighter promotional exam in the three years since the 2020 exam was canceled could get a chance to take the test later this year …
The sky-blue and white barge anchored off Hunts Point in the fall of 1992 following its maiden voyage from a Louisiana shipyard. Its stay was supposed to be temporary.  But it would soon earn a …
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The Communication Workers of America Local 1180 and the Adams administration have reached a tentative contract agreement that, in addition to providing raises, would establish a flexible work …
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City retirees fighting to fend off attempts by the Adams administration to shift them from their current and preferred Medicare plan into a Medicare Advantage program could soon have hundreds of …
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A growing number of teens getting arrested citywide led to a nearly 35-percent spike in the number of youth residing in the city’s juvenile detention centers in Fiscal Years 2023 compared to a year …
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FDNY EMTs, paramedics and EMS officers are not being properly compensated for some of their work, and unions representing the FDNY employees will continue to sue the department and the city until the …
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Other stories we are reporting on
DEA honors longtime cop, union official Lou Matarazzo FREE
Detectives’ Endowment Association board officers last week unveiled a plaque at the union’s Thomas Street headquarters honoring the late Louis Matarazzo, who was the union’s legislative …
Council passes bill establishing exit surveys for departing city workers
Amid ongoing staffing shortages within the municipal workforce, the City Council passed legislation last week that would require city agencies to provide exit surveys to departing employees. The …
Ambulance response times, call volume and fire deaths all up
FDNY first responders are struggling to keep up with a rapidly increasing number of life-threatening medical incidents and to respond to the emergencies in a timely manner, data from the Mayor’s …
COBA sues DOC for breach of labor law
The city’s main correction union says jail officers cannot be compelled to speak with a federal monitor about violent incidents inside the lockups unless they are represented by union officials. …
Labor officials ‘less than truthful’ on Medicare bill, say ex-union leaders
Nearly three dozen former city labor officials are disputing current union leaders’ contention that pending City Council legislation that would keep municipal retirees’ existing health benefits …
Wage theft now brings larceny charges
Employers who deliberately short their workers on pay could now face larceny charges and stricter penalties, according to legislation signed into law this week by Governor Kathy Hochul. The bill, …
Unvaxxed teachers must be reinstated, judge rules FREE
Ten educators who previously worked in city public schools and were terminated for refusing to get the coronavirus vaccine are entitled to religious exemptions and must be reinstated, a Staten Island …
Brosi takes helm of UFOA FREE
FDNY Deputy Chief Jim Brosi was elected president of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association earlier this month, taking the helm of the union that represents the FDNY’s lieutenants, captains, …
Former NYPD commissioner Howard Safir dies
Howard Safir, the former NYPD commissioner whose four-year tenure in the late 1990s included sharp declines in the city's murder tolls but also some of its most notorious episodes of police killings …
NYC pension funds sue Fox over 2020 election coverage FREE
New York City's pension funds and the state of Oregon sued Fox Corporation on Tuesday, alleging the company harmed investors by allowing Fox News to broadcast falsehoods about the 2020 election that …
Labor Perspectives
Letters to the Editor
To the editor, Re "Cover Up!" by Richard Warren. While I sometimes virulently disagree with his opinions, I have noted Mr. Warren is not afraid to question/challenge authority and is capable of …
To the editor: Mayor Eric Adams has on a few occasions blamed Texas Governor Greg Abbott for the migrant crisis. The problem in New York began when then-Mayor Edward Koch signed Executive Order 124 …
To the editor: Eric Ulrich, former Department of Buildings commissioner, was sitting with two men, one a mob-connected businessman, in the Cross Bay Diner in Howard Beach. All three men placed their …
To the editor: As an adult who became aware of the early warnings of environmental damage 60 years ago when life in ponds and lakes in the Northeast began dying as a result of so-called “acid …
To the editor: Why are union leaders, including TWU 100, in NYC and governments nationwide allowing Medicare Advantage plans for their workers and retirees? They all claim to be cutting fat. However …
Op-Eds
Wake-up call

Parity FREE

If drones could hover over the conscience of the city, as they did over the Labor Day parade earlier this month, the surveillance report would be scandalous. It would show that the city's professed …

City progressives regressive on health care FREE

When allegedly progressive politicians and union leaders are the ones attacking, or refusing to blunt the attacks, on retirees' health benefits, we know we have problems. Let's get one thing clear: …

How government employers undermine workers FREE

There is a lot of excitement about the UAW strike, union organizing at Starbucks and Amazon and even talk about the strike that didn’t happen at UPS this summer.  But little attention is paid …
Reports From the Field, by Denberg

Your money

When are IRA withdrawals penalty-free?

Many Individual Retirement Account owners are aware they can be hit hard with penalty fees if they withdraw their IRA money early. You should make every effort to avoid withdrawing from retirement …

Beware of tax-related scams and schemes

The IRS wants taxpayers to be aware of tax scams. The scams, besides being illegal, can lead to massive problems for taxpayers, including significant penalties, interest and possible criminal …
Work rules by Barbara Smaller

Labor Nation

Citing hiring woes, some small towns are disbanding police forces FREE

As Goodhue Police Chief Josh Smith struggled this summer to fill vacancies in his small department, he warned the town's City Council that unless pay and benefits improved, finding new officers would …