The FDNY's union blasted Mayor Bill de Blasio a day after the New York City leader said he could soon see furloughing or laying off firefighters and other essential workers if federal aid didn't come through.
"It’s very upsetting that @nycmayor would even suggest cuts and layoffs to frontline workers.... we are not political pawns!" the Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York wrote in an online post Thursday. "First Responders are integral to the safety and well being of the 8.4 million citizens of NYC. If @billdeblasio is to bring forward cuts and layoffs, the damage this will bring about will be unmeasurable."
On Wednesday, de Blasio told CNN that the New York City is facing a financial crisis after losing $7.4 billion in revenue from the COVID-19 pandemic. Previously, the mayor had said laying off firefighters and other city workers would be a last resort, the New York Post reports.
“Right now what I’m staring down the barrel of, and cities and states all over the country, people are either acting on furloughs and layoffs or preparing for furloughs or layoffs of the exact people who have been the heroes in this crisis who we should be celebrating and supporting — first responders, the health care workers, the educators,” de Blasio said on CNN’s “New Day.” “How are we going to support these people who we need if we don’t have any money?”
House Democrats currently are working on a possibly $1 trillion federal stimulus package for state and local governments, the Los Angeles Times reports. The money in this new aid package is being touted as a “heroes” bill that could go toward paying firefighters, police officers and other essential workers.
