Mayor Bill de Blasio is aggressively pushing for a $12.4 billion federal bailout – because New York City faces an unprecedented $7 billion budget deficit over the next two years.
Last week, in a public relations stunt, the mayor announced a one-week unpaid furlough of himself and 494 employees within his office – a taxpayer savings of a paltry $860,000.
So, how did the city get so deep into trouble?
Our auditors at OpenTheBooks.com dug into the skyrocketing city payroll. In 2016, there were 76,166 employees with pay exceeding $100,000. By 2019, there were more than 114,000 – a 50-percent increase in six-figure earners.
In 2019, plumber helpers earned $172,988; thermostat repairmen made up to $198,630; regular laborers hauled away $213,169; electricians lit up $253,132; and plumbers pocketed up to $286,245.
School janitors ($256,000) out-earned the principals ($154,000). Four deputy mayors made over $241,641 each and 5,998 city employees out-earned New York governor Andrew Cuomo ($178,000).
The city has 331,520 full-time equivalent employees – up from 297,349 in 2014.
However, 592,432 people pulled a paycheck at some point last year at a total cost of $29.5 billion. (This included base salary, overtime, and “other pay,” but not healthcare or pension benefits. Those perks add 30-percent.) – READ MORE
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