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Today's Lead: City Nears Contract with Teachers Union


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The de Blasio Administration and the city's main teachers union, the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), are close to finalizing contract negotiations, those close to the talks say. It is likely to be a nine-year contract that includes the 4 percent raises for 2009 and 2010 that other municipal unions received and the UFT sought from the Bloomberg Administration. Raises would average 1.5 percent to 2 percent per year going ahead, much like the 11 percent raise over six years that subway and bus workers received earlier this year. The deal also may include substantial savings for the City on health coverage, with union members beginning to pay a portion of their premiums. There are likely to be changes to the teacher evaluation tool, whereby teachers are rated by a smaller number of factors than they are currently, and teachers could have more opportunities to make additional pay. The deal is also rumored to include a controversial proposal to encourage principals to take on teachers from the “absent teacher reserve.” It's been nearly five years since the UFT, with 75,000 teachers and 19,000 classroom paraprofessionals, contract expired. The impending deal will probably set a pattern for the roughly 150 other municipal unions, though the health savings could prove a stumbling block, as leaders of the city's uniformed unions are said to be opposed to the measure.

New from Gotham Gazette
Public Advocate Speak: Tish James Video Interview with Gotham Gazette
We recently spoke with James about policy issues she has taken up in her first few months as public advocate and how she has structured her office.

ICYMI from Gotham Gazette
The City Council Moves Forward On Reform
Kristen Meriwether examines the proposed changes to member item allocation.

Part 2: Resiliency Planning Post-Sandy: An Interview with Daniel Zarrilli
Gotham Gazette interviews the city's new director of the Office of Recovery and Resiliency
Part 1: Resiliency Planning Post-Sandy: An Interview with Daniel Zarrilli

Other Stories We're Following

Federal Prosecutors Subpoena State Ethics Enforcement Agency (WSJ)

Top State Judge Tightens Rules on Debt Collection (NY Times)

Most of City Receives Failing Grade in Air Quality Report (CBS News)

Test Prep Endures in City Schools, Despite Calls to Ease It (NY Times)

‘Denser City’: A Preview of de Blasio’s Affordable Housing Plan (Capital)

City Charters Get Record Number of Applicants (WSJ)

What Happened to New York’s Marijuana Initiative? (Capital)

Senate Approves More Speed Enforcement Cameras for City (Daily News)

30-Cent Surcharge OKed for Wheelchair-Accessible Cabs (Daily News)

Report on Workplace Injury Legislation Heightens Acrimony (Times Union)

City Creating Good-Paying, Middle-Class Jobs (Crain's)

If Pfizer Leaves City, Will It Start a Trend? (WNYC)

Today's Lead: City Council Moves Forward on Reform


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Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito unveiled proposals yesterday to make the distribution of member items more equitable and to reform the bill-drafting process. Under the plan, council members would receive an equal amount of member item money, also called discretionary funds, though districts with high poverty rates could get an extra 25 percent in funding. Mark-Viverito would still control a large amount of council money called the "Speaker's List" that she would be free spread around. The former speaker, Christine Quinn, was criticized for using the discretionary funds as a way to punish council members. Last year, some council member barely received just above the minimum of $340,464 while others took in over $1 million of the total $34,173,872, according to Citizen's Union. Mayor Bill de Blasio and advocates have called for member items to be abolished altogether, but praised the proposal as progress nonetheless. Under the rules changes committee chairs would also be able to hold a hearing on any bill that has the support of two-thirds of the council members. And a unit would be created to draft bills requested by members, not just leadership. A council hearing on the proposals is scheduled for May 7.

New from Gotham Gazette
The City Council Moves Forward On Reform
Kristen Meriwether examines the proposed changes to member item allocation.

Part 2: Resiliency Planning Post-Sandy: An Interview with Daniel Zarrilli
Gotham Gazette interviews the city's new director of the Office of Recovery and Resiliency
Part 1: Resiliency Planning Post-Sandy: An Interview with Daniel Zarrilli

Restoring Sanity to Student Promotion Decisions
An op-ed by Norm Fruchter, senior research at the Annenberg Institute and mayoral appointee to the Panel for Education Policy

Other Stories We're Following

Nearly Half of New Yorkers Struggling to Get By: Study (NY Times)

With Limits Gone, GOP Lawyer Launches Super PAC (Crain's)

Up in Years and All but Priced Out of New York (NY Times)

Dinapoli Introduces Bill to Curb Contractor Conflicts (Times Union)

Unions Urge Judge to Nix Law on Profiling Claims (AP)

Scaled Back Plans for Muslim Center Near Ground Zero (NY Times)

Unions Offer Pay Cuts for Jobs in Affordable-Housing Plan (NY Post)

Effort to Save LICH Looks Like ‘Fantasyland’: Source (Daily News)

New York Air Quality Better, Still Uneven (Capital)

State Bills Target Heroin-Related Issues (Times Union)

Rent-Stabilized Apartments Being Occupied by Millionaires (DNAinfo)

Today's Lead: Council Speaker Set to Introduce New Rules


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New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito is poised to unveil an overhaul of the Council's internal rules that would see her power significantly diminished. Under the changes, Mark-Viverito would give up control over how much discretionary funding each council member receives to spend in their districts. Former council speaker Christine Quinn was often criticized for using her control of so-called 'member items' to punish council members who didn’t vote in lock step with her. Member items will now be distributed nearly equally among the council members, with some increases to districts deemed the neediest. Mayor Bill de Blasio has advocated for doing away with member items completely, but Mark-Viverito’s proposal does not go that far. The Council generally gives out about $50 million in member items each year. Other rules changes would increase the power of committee chairs and increase transparency. A hearing on the rules is set for May 7.

New from Gotham Gazette
Recovery and Resiliency Post-Sandy: An Interview with Daniel Zarrilli, Part 1
An in-depth interview on the de Blasio administration's Sandy recovery and resiliency plans with the new director of the Office of Recovery and Resiliency.

ICYMI from Gotham Gazette
The Week Ahead in New York Politics
Our weekly outline of what to look for in New York City and Albany during the week at hand.


Other Stories We're Following

Moreland Commission Adviser Criticizes Cuomo (Newsday)

Assembly Passes Bill to Add 140 Speed Cameras (Daily News)

Disparate Forces Align Over Affordable Rents (NY Times)

CityTime Contractors Sentenced to 20 Years (NY Times)

Council to Hold Hearing on Charter School Management (NY Post)

Grimm Becomes Underdog in Congressional Seat Race After Indictment(Daily News)

Tech Industry Booming in NYC (Daily News)

Stringer to Order Bloomberg Terminals (Capital)

Why New York's Health Exchanges Worked (Capital)

MTA Hopes to Have South Ferry Service Back by Late 2016 (NY1)

Council Bill to Re-Ignite Crane Operator War (Crain's)

Probe Seeks Views of De Blasio Aide (WSJ)

More Funds for Bus Timers and School Technology Slated For Upper East Side (DNAinfo)



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