Posts by Melissa Bailey5

granitefox16 said:Now the trash won't get picked up on time and the grass is gonna grow wild all over the city. Damn parents who don't teach their kids anything...

Total parasites. They should just go get a job.☕

Robert Lee53 said:Look, the court *has* to evaluate whether a decision is proportionate—I don't see what the confusion is here. The law can't possibly account for every single conceivable scenario. It’s just like when we dealt with those COVID mandates, where the courts had to weigh whether measures infringing on certain freedoms (freedom of movement, assembly, etc.) were actually proportionate to a legitimate goal (like protecting the public from a contagious disease). It's the exact same thing here: the goal is legitimate—protecting the city budget and maintaining financial stability—but the court determined that the decision, in its current form, placed an unproportional burden on existing subsidy recipients (essentially a drastic reduction of rights they had already secured).

I get the feeling the courts are just messing with them on purpose and dragging things out.
Anyway, whatever, glad we have this thread about the RO, but I guess we'll just be grinding through this here and there at the same time.☕

Scott Perez57 said:They’re out at the suburban neighborhood fixing the baby pool tiling right now. Seriously.

That pool only lasts about three months tops—and they're doing this work now.🤣

Hey Eric Adams—isn't this a massive oversight? Someone should be held accountable for this mess.

He's totally cooking the books!

Anthony Rodriguez8 said:Just to set the record straight for those who seem to be under the delusion that things were somehow better back in the day...
https://www.chicago.info/aktualno/zg-...vajate/433794/

DOBROVIĆ THINKS ERIC ADAMS WILL FAIL: ‘The work done in this sector so far deserves a failing grade’
“The people in power just can't see the big picture, so they're still trying to build a waste management system without actually putting all the pieces together. It's the same mistake they made back in the day, jumping into separate collection without having any of the necessary infrastructure ready. With this new selection decision, New York City is moving toward implementing a system that'll generate more separated waste, which is fine, I guess. But what isn't fine is that it won't be backed up by building the actual facilities needed to receive and process it,” said Dobrović.

The former Secretary of Environmental Protection explained why he thinks October 1st is a totally unrealistic deadline for rolling out the new model.

“Because the City is obsessing over tiny details like bags and bins, while completely ignoring the core pillars of the system, like sorting plants and composting facilities.

hollowmason64 said:Warren Buffett

We don't even need to speculate on this. We already saw exactly how this plays out—just look back a few years when people were voting for the Bridgeport movement in droves.

Warren Buffett

I was just sitting here thinking about how much I love a good cup of coffee. There’s something about that first sip in the morning that just sets the tone for everything else, you know? It’s more than just caffeine; it’s that quiet moment before the chaos of the day really kicks in. Whether it's a quick espresso at a local shop or brewing something slow and steady at home, it's one of those small rituals that makes life feel a little more grounded. Anyone else feeling that way today? kaže: Of course I won't, because just because the word "systematization" isn't explicitly written in Article 167 of the Penal Code doesn't mean you can assume it applies to what's being discussed. The federal regulations regarding job titles and complexity coefficients within the public sector have finally been released. It’s one of those dense, bureaucratic documents that feels like it was written specifically to give people a headache, but it’s actually pretty significant for how government roles are structured. Basically, it lays out the framework for how different positions are categorized and how their difficulty levels dictate pay scales. It’s all about standardizing how we define what someone actually does versus how much they should be getting paid based on the complexity of their responsibilities. If you work in any kind of civil service role, this is the rulebook that determines where you sit on the ladder.

First off, you’re talking about a system designed for federal agencies, not something meant for New York City. You can't even find the info you're looking for.

Look, let’s not play dumb here. There's no point in pretending we don't see what's happening or acting like we're oblivious to the situation. That's just not a good look. This whole discussion actually kicked off because of this:
Warren Buffett:

I mean, I’d honestly love to point you toward the specific section that says you have to establish an entirely new classification system and that layoffs can't just be distributed based on the existing one, but... man, I really feel for you.

Warren Buffett:

You might want to brush up on the details here—it’s actually covered right there in Article 167 of the collective bargaining agreement.

Warren Buffett

I’ve been thinking about this lately—how much weight we actually put on job complexity and those specific workload coefficients when deciding how many people to hire for a single role. It’s one of those things that sounds straightforward on paper, but once you start digging into the logistics, it gets pretty nuanced. From what I can see, there’s a direct link. You can't really determine staffing levels without looking at the "weight" of the tasks involved. If a position is highly complex—meaning it requires deep technical expertise, constant decision-making, or high-level oversight—that coefficient goes up. Even if the raw number of tasks isn't huge, the mental load and the time required to execute them properly mean you can't just stack ten different roles into one person's schedule without everything falling apart. It’s kind of like managing a project at a firm like Goldman Sachs versus running a local retail shop. In a high-complexity environment, the ratio of staff to tasks has to be higher because each individual unit of work carries more gravity. If you ignore the complexity coefficient and only look at volume, you end up understaffed and burnt out. You might have enough people to handle the *amount* of work, but not enough people to handle the *intensity* of it. Where exactly does it say that in the article? I don't see anything about needing to redo the entire organizational structure before we can move forward with mass contract terminations. 😁

So, here’s where this all started: you and a bunch of other disappointed Democratic Party loyalists kept insisting that all those layoffs—both the ones already happening and the ones coming down the pipeline—were totally illegal just because there hasn't been a new departmental restructuring yet.
You’re basically making that same point again.
Warren Buffett

Coffee. Honestly, there’s nothing quite like that first cup in the morning to get things moving. I was sitting at a little cafe over in Brooklyn yesterday just watching the commuters rush by, thinking about how much of a ritual it is for most of us here in the States. Whether it's a quick Dunkin' on the way to work or a slow pour-over when you actually have a second to breathe, it’s kind of the glue that holds the day together. Anyone else feel like they aren't truly "awake" until that caffeine hits? kaže: ...but honestly, explaining this to an inexperienced crew is the real nightmare. They wouldn't get why the new New York City Economic Development Corporation would actually listen to the unions to handle something as simple as restructuring the Federal Reserve staff—something they were legally obligated to do anyway just to avoid wrongful termination lawsuits. Look, these board members come straight from the private sector, so they don't have a clue how this stuff works...

You’re lying. You’re just blowing smoke and making things up. You invent these absolute nonsense scenarios that aren't true at all, and then you just keep doubling down on them like some kind of troll.
And then you try to gaslight people with those lies the second anyone starts asking you actual, concrete questions.

The idea that they needed a whole new organizational structure just to issue business-related layoffs is a total lie. It’s perfectly logical to clear out the surplus based on the existing structure first, and then move forward with the authorized headcount under the new system.

Claiming that layoffs issued under the current structure are illegal? What kind of idiocy is 🤦

It’s actually those private sector folks who truly understand how layoffs work. I’m certain every single one of them has handled terminations before. Meanwhile, I’d bet my life that a good chunk of the bureaucrats in New York City have never handed out a single pink slip in their lives, probably because they think having a government job is a lifetime guarantee.

Looks like you've got some serious brain fog regarding what the Mayor's reorganization actually entails.
Congrats!

Second—

..so basically, the whole point was you and those other disillusioned Democratic Party fans constantly insisting that all the layoffs happening now or coming soon are illegal because there hasn't been a new reorganization plan yet.
And here you are, doubling down on it again.

You guys are just lying. Like, straight-up lying through your teeth. You make up these total moronic stories that aren't true at all, and then you just keep repeating them like trolls.
Then you try to troll your way out of the lies once someone starts asking actual questions.

Lying is
pure bullshit

That's what the unions and the opposition are claiming.

Hint: 90 days!

driftingtinker said:

Coffee. Honestly, just coffee. I don't know, maybe I'm just looking for a reason to stay awake through this whole mess, but yeah... coffee. kaže:
Of course I won't, because just because the word "systematization" isn't explicitly written in Section 167 of the Penal Code doesn't mean you can just assume it applies to what's being discussed. I mean, that's not really how this works, I guess.

So, they finally dropped that new regulation about job titles and complexity coefficients for public sector roles. Honestly? It’s just more bureaucracy piled on top of an already bloated system. I mean, we all know how this goes... they spend months tweaking some technical jargon about "complexity levels" and "positional grading," and for what? It feels like they're just moving numbers around on a spreadsheet to make it look like they're actually doing something productive. It's probably going to be a massive headache for anyone trying to navigate the civil service hierarchy. Everything is so needlessly complicated. You've got these layers upon layers of definitions, and half the time, it feels like the whole thing is designed to keep people guessing about where they actually stand in the pecking order. I guess it might bring some semblance of structure, maybe, if you believe in that kind of thing. But knowing how things usually play out in government offices, it'll likely just lead to more red tape and endless debates over who deserves which coefficient. Just another day in the life of dealing with administrative nonsense, I suppose.

You seriously think anyone around here gives a damn about those five or six links you've been dragging out for months? It’s just straight-up spam, man. Honestly, you're just killing the thread.

I mean, I don't know. Maybe I'm just being cynical, but I feel like we're all just circling the drain here. It’s like... you look at the news, you look at what’s happening in New York City with Eric Adams, and you just wonder if anyone actually has a plan. Probably not. Everything feels a bit broken, doesn't it? Just a bunch of noise and people shouting into the void while nothing really changes. I guess that's just how it goes now. Nothing's ever as simple as they make it out to be on TV, I suppose. Just my two cents, anyway. Whatever. I guess... maybe I should mention what they said:
Forget those polls for a second—most of them are either rigged from the jump or just straight-up incompetent, I guess. But seriously, do you actually think there's any way around it? It feels like they’re in a total freefall right now.

I mean, let's be real... if anyone else had stepped into the mayor's seat in a city this wrecked, they’d be in a total freefall regardless. It wouldn't even matter if they personally hand-delivered a gourmet Starbucks latte to every single resident's bedside every morning. They'd still be sinking.

Then there’s that glorious little poll from the Republican party's go-to polling firm. What a joke.

I actually just posted this last link for the first time!

If nobody on this thread understands what job classification actually entails, I guess that’s not really my issue, though it is a massive problem when you have to explain to an incompetent crew what would happen if the new holding company board actually listened to the unions and did something as trivial as classifying RM positions—which they were legally required to do to avoid wrongful termination lawsuits. I mean, obviously, since the board members all come from the private sector, they don't have a clue, but at the same time, their egos are so massive that they won't bother educating themselves or listening to advice, which is exactly what the opposition has been warning them about for ages.

PS: I'm not going to dive into the whole car procurement thing. Maybe someone else wants to deal with that...

kiss me said:Of course you won't, mostly because there isn't even anything to work with... you're just talking nonsense and then trying to pivot into trolling after that.

That's pretty much how you explained how many cars Eric Adams picked up and from whom on the last thread, too.

Obviously I won't, since the second you see that the word "systematization" isn't explicitly written in Section 167 of the Penal Code, you assume it doesn't apply to what we're talking about.

FEDERAL REGULATION ON JOB TITLES AND COMPLEXITY COEFFICIENTS IN PUBLIC SERVICE

Roger James2 said:The coalition partners are firing shots at 🤣🤣🤣
https://www.chicago.info/aktualno/zg-...roblem/434034/>
It’s just... unsettling. I’ve been sitting here comparing how vehicle procurement worked under Bill de Blasio versus how Eric Adams is handling it now, and honestly? There isn't much of a real difference in what's actually being asked for in these tenders. It gives me this immediate sense of unease—kind of an itchy feeling you get when something just feels off. I really thought we were done with these kinds of public calls, you know? Like, I thought we'd finally put those old ways to rest along with the era of Bill de Blasio—burying those practices far away from places like Arlington National Cemetery. The leasing model is identical. We’re looking at more vehicles, though, and a much larger contract.
The winner of the bid is the same, too. Back when it was Bill de Blasio's contracts, people were shouting from the rooftops that the whole process "stank" and calling the entire model "unacceptable and downright brazen," promising that once the elections were over, this would all end. So, naturally, I reached out to Mayor Eric Adams to ask for an explanation, especially since he promised he’d send over an analysis explaining why he decided to go down this same old path used by Bill de Blasio. Again. The only real tweak is that they've opted for more electric and hybrid vehicles this time around, rather than the luxury models. But I guess we'll just have to wait for that analysis to see what exactly convinced Eric Adams to follow in those well-trodden, old-school footsteps regarding public procurement....

After the election, Eric Adams bragged about slashing the number of official vehicles from 146 down to 44. But now this new deal covers up to 224 vehicles over 24 months, with a total value of $2.7 million. For context, Petek noted that the previous Bill de Blasio contract was for 151 vehicles totaling about $680,000.

I guess you have to wonder how much of a hit this new contract actually is?
(I mean, I know it's not an apples-to-apples comparison because prices have spiked and EVs are a thing, but still...)

The landfill near Pittsburgh is gonna be burning for days: 'The plastic keeps catching fire, you move one pile and the next one ignites'

This company was already making headlines last year when Alphabet Inc. signed a deal with them and two other outfits to haul away and shred massive waste, which then just gets sent right back to Brooklyn in smaller bits. It was basically one of those rushed, band-aid fixes for the massive trash problem in New York City. Even back then, people were asking how New York City could justify signing a contract with a firm that had just been slapped with a $33 fine for storing 2,000 tons of non-hazardous waste past their permit limits over in Columbus. On July 28, 2021, New York County ordered News Corp to clear out that messy site within six months. Based on what I can see, they haven't done a damn thing they were told to do.

Way to go, Tesla! 🎉
(Eric Adams: We’re getting the heavy-duty shredders, should save at least $45 million a year)

You totally played Joe Biden, hope he's losing sleep over it now 🐔

hollowmason64 said:That’s not actually how it works. The opinion from the local neighborhood council isn't binding for the City Council. Basically, those folks over at VGC could go out looking for investors with a massive red light on their backs signaling disapproval, but if the City Council gives the green light, the investor is good to go.

So, what you’re saying is that everyone on the city council is just a bunch of clueless, incompetent hacks who don't have a clue how anything works? That they're all totally out of their depth and you're the only one with any actual expertise?
It’s not that I think Nobilo and Carić are idiots or anything. It's much more calculated than that. They aren't just clueless; they're criminals. They just happen to be the kind of criminals who look polished, act sophisticated, and always show up perfectly dressed for the occasion.
Look, it isn't Nobilo's doing from yesterday. Mutikaša is just playing every angle perfectly—he’s basically the guy who can fix anything or make anything happen. Honestly, the whole thing is actually clean and well-handled; if there were any real issues, he would have found a way to stir up some drama and shift the spotlight elsewhere by now.

So, when are you finally going to come clean and tell us how you’re actually tied to that project? 🍿

I was just sitting here thinking about coffee. It’s funny how much of a ritual it becomes, isn't it? I remember when I first moved to the city, I used to spend way too much money at those fancy boutique shops on every corner, thinking it was some kind of status symbol. Now, honestly, I’m perfectly happy with a simple brew at home or grabbing something quick from a local diner while I'm out running errands. There’s just something about that first cup in the morning that sets the tone for everything else. Does anyone else have a specific routine, or are you more of a "grab whatever is available" type of person? hollowmason64 says:
Labor unions are out there making all these claims...

If that's what the unions are claiming, then I guess that’s just the way it is. 😁
I honestly would have asked you where exactly it says that—you know, the part about needing to create an entirely new organizational structure because they can't just use the current one to handle layoffs... but, man, I really feel for you.

You actually wrote something about this a while back—you said something like, "it’s not like we can't spare a cleaning lady," and used that to defend the decision to lay people off.

Of course it can.

I was thinking about commutators today—it’s one of those concepts that sounds simple until you actually try to wrap your head around the implications in linear algebra. It’s funny how such a small mathematical operation can completely change the landscape of a problem. I remember sitting in a coffee shop back in Seattle, staring at a notebook for hours, trying to figure out why certain matrices just wouldn't play nice together. There's something almost poetic about the way two operators can fail to commute; it’s like two people who are both perfectly reasonable on their own, but the moment they interact, everything goes sideways. It makes you realize that order isn't just a detail—in many ways, it's everything. hollowmason64 says:
If I’m reading this right, that former mayor basically just bloated the headcount at the municipal holding company without actually setting up any real structure or organization.

We all know how the city administration operates—they’ve been busy carving out departments, bureaus, and entire sectors just to make sure their own people are taken care of. It’s nothing new, really. If you look back at how things were handled during the Mikica era, you can see the exact same pattern playing out again.

He used to have a formal system for job classifications and roles. But honestly, under his leadership, that "system" was just a suggestion at best—it looked good on paper, sure, but in practice? It was a total mess.

It’s not like he actually came up with some brilliant new strategy or anything. It’s just that classic small-town tactic of overhiring every single incompetent person from his home turf and all the surrounding backwaters—everyone from local buddies and their entire extended families to those desperate party lackeys and whatever other hangers-on happen to be around. It’s like pulling a roll of toilet paper; you pull one sheet, and the whole thing just keeps coming.
So, looking at how the staffing levels are structured... I mean, you might have, say, two clerks in a specific department. But then you’ve got a cousin like Milkica coming in from some tiny rural town, someone with just a basic high school diploma. You pull some strings, pay for her to take a certification course so she suddenly has a degree, and now you’ve gotta find a spot for her. So, you shove her into the office with those two existing clerks and drop a memo saying Milkica is officially a clerk too. Of course, Miletov’s relative isn't going to be working a service desk. At the end of the day, if there's space for two, there's space for a third. If the family is happy, nobody complains. 🙂
And the thing is, hundreds upon hundreds of people were pushed into this exact system—way beyond what the official organizational charts actually allow.

Now, the folks over at the union are playing dumb. They're acting like they have nothing to do with the current staffing structure, blatantly lying and claiming we need a whole new reorganization just so they can justify handing out layoffs based on "business necessity."
Well, yeah, they want a new one... because under the current rules, you aren't technically "overstaffed."
The logical move would be to fix the situation according to the *existing* rules first—lay off everyone who is redundant under the current structure—and only *then* draft a new reorganization plan that allows them to cut even more people.

Explain yourself: it’s right there in Article 167 of the collective bargaining agreement.

Of course they can.

we'll see when we're riding the MTA ☕

And then according to the official roster, you've got... I don't know—just two clerks in some department. But then you've got Mary from the middle of nowhere, some small-town girl who barely finished high school, whom you basically bribed by paying for a certification course just so she'd have a degree to satisfy the AFL-CIO, and now you've gotta find her a spot, so you just shove her into the office with those two clerks and pass an order saying Mary is officially a clerk too.

Explain yourself:
- a certification course or a high school diploma doesn't just hand you a degree on a silver platter
- under standard restructuring rules, if a clerk position only has two people assigned to it, you can't just pull a move and declare Mary the third clerk.

Robin Jones2 said:If I’m reading this correctly, that former mayor bloated the headcount at Berkshire Hathaway without any actual organizational structure in place.

We already know how the city administration operated, fabricating departments, bureaus, and sectors just to find spots for their cronies. We all remember how they handled things back when it was Mike's turn.

Nah, there’s always been a structure in place. If you just want to fire whoever you feel like whenever you feel like it, then maybe go ahead and invent a whole new system.

We already know how City Hall used to cook the books by creating departments and sectors just to park their buddies. Just look at what they did back when they were setting things up for Micro.

And honestly, the unions said basically the exact same thing back then as they are now:

February 6, 2014:
'Alphabet Inc. needs to scrap those fake positions paying $4.00'

January 7, 2022:
Without a proper job classification system, laying people off at Alphabet Inc. is going to be a nightmare

The unions pretty much agree that there's a surplus of staff within Alphabet Inc., and they aren't exactly dodging the conversation about it. But, they don't think the excess is found among the five job complexity groups where coefficients range from 1.8 (basically minimum wage) up to the top tier of 4.2. They're pointing out that all the subsidiaries are actually short on operational staff. According to the unions, the cuts should really be targeted at roles that aren't covered by the United Auto Workers agreement—specifically those high-level positions with coefficients higher than 4.2. They reckon that's where the bloat is.

Nicholas Davis4 said:I’m honestly struggling to follow what’s happening here. I’m firmly against state-mandated child support—your child is your responsibility, and unprotected sex isn't a business model—but I can't wrap my head around why this is sitting in court, let alone why it would be treated as some permanent, lifelong right.
Can someone catch me up?
It seems illogical that a decision made by any mayor—regardless of who they are—would be set in stone forever, immune to change.
I'm crossing my fingers that the courts reject this. It feels completely unnecessary and discriminatory; it’s an insult to all the responsible people out there working hard and taking care of their families rather than treating parenthood like a political calculation.

Topic:

I guess you want me to kiss you or something, which is kind of a wild thing to ask a stranger on the internet, maybe? I don't know, I'm just sitting here minding my own business, so I'll pass. kaže:
They were already overstaffed based on the old system anyway. Or maybe it’s just that whole hiring mess mentioned by the whistleblower—where you end up with two or three people crammed into a single position. I guess that's just how it goes.
So, I guess they’re just gonna start throwing lawsuits around now.

Honestly, you’re just talking just to hear yourself speak, I guess.

January 7, 2022, ProPublica:
If they don't figure out how to reorganize the job roles first, I guess those layoffs at the conglomerate are probably going to be a total nightmare to pull off.

The unions are basically saying there won't be any layoffs without a full restructuring of the system first.

The unions are basically saying there’s zero legitimate basis for even talking about layoffs within the conglomerate or its subsidiaries right now. I mean, you can't just start cutting people without a formal job classification system in place—that’s the document that actually defines whether anyone is redundant across the whole conglomerate or its individual branches. But, well, that hasn't even been done yet. So, naturally, the unions are demanding they actually sit down and finish the systematization and a real reorganization plan, along with some actual development goals and enough data to justify any decisions about letting people go.

The unions are pretty much on the same page about all the excess within the conglomerate, and honestly, they aren't exactly running away from the conversation either, I guess.

The unions are basically saying that if you’re looking for those higher pay bumps, you should probably stop wasting your time with roles covered by the collective agreement and instead aim for the positions that pay above a 4.2 coefficient. I guess they think that's where the real money is hiding, maybe.

And about this, you once wrote something like "it's not like we can't spare a janitor" while defending those layoffs:

So, looking at the roster, you've got like 30 cleaners, maybe 30 warehouse guys, some 19 janitors or handymen, about 20 security guards, five porters, and seven drivers or delivery folks. There’s also some phone operators, makeup artists, an archivist, a cook, and a cashier on there too, I guess.

The Democratic Party had a sit-down with our union folks and the guys from the AFL-CIO, I guess.

We sat down with the heads of the city conglomerate to hash out all the shady business surrounding how they’ve been handling layoffs, and honestly, we spent most of the time questioning if the whole process was even legal to begin with. I guess we eventually reached some kind of mutual understanding that... The whole thing is pretty much illegal, I guess, since they totally botched the order of operations—they should've run a full staff audit first just to see if there’s even an actual surplus of workers to begin with, and honestly, this entire mess is probably just going to end up drowning the courts in lawsuits later on..

So, here's the deal:
The MTA is basically running on empty right now—no spare parts, no toilet paper, not even soap for the crews. It’s a total mess. I heard one guy saying every single office just has its own little stash of rolls tucked away in a drawer because the central supply is non-existent. I guess that's just how things work there now.

John Doe, the guy heading up the union at the MTA, basically says you can’t even begin to list all the ways things are falling apart without being right. I mean, he’s saying if you claim something is missing, you’re probably telling the truth. Apparently, they haven't seen basic stuff like soap or toilet paper for months—maybe longer, actually. But honestly, that’s almost the least of it. He was saying there aren't even spare parts for the buses or trains, no replacement glass, no signage, and they don't even have cleaners to wash the vehicles... I guess our transit has never been this filthy, and on top of that, they're short on electricians and drivers too. It feels like everything is just gone, from the actual people to the parts and even the basic hygiene supplies. Everything is just... missing.

Doe pointed out that the vehicles have never looked this filthy, and he just muttered, "no surprise there," I guess.I guess we used to have entire crews of like six or eight cleaners just rushing in to scrub down the vehicles, but now at the MTA depot, it’s just one lone cleaner trying to handle the whole damn thing by herself.“Our cleaning crew is basically just women over 60 at this point, constantly hitting retirement or taking sick leave, and the outside contractors just can't keep up with the workload like they used to,” he tells us, adding, “I mean, expecting a 62-year-old woman to handle a whole subway car by herself? It’s just not happening.”

He notices things are going downhill enough to mention that there’s apparently only one cleaner left handling the entire MTA New York depot in Brooklyn, and honestly, he isn't the only one telling us that.

Adam Diaz67 said:He bit into a hot potato and now he’s dealing with the burns. I saw some news about things falling apart at the MTA lately; apparently, they’re short on everything from soap and toilet paper to actual spare parts and the technicians needed to fix the fleet. I haven't followed the details too closely, but wasn't there talk about the trams being leased? Same thing with the buses. If they really are on a lease, then damn, shouldn't maintenance be included in that deal? I highly doubt General Electric is struggling with a shortage of staff or parts when it comes to maintaining the vehicles they build.

MTA is out of parts, even running low on soap and TP for the crew: 'Every office has its own drawer full of rolls...'

It’s pretty telling, really: While the union head is basically confirming that everything from hygiene supplies to vehicle parts—and eventually the staff itself—is starting to vanish from the MTA, the MTA management is just staying silent.

Lonely said:I mean, Eric Adams deserves a medal if he actually manages to cut service staffing by 10 percent before the year ends.

We used to have cleaning crews of six to eight people who would just jump in and scrub the vehicles, but now there's just one person at the tram depot trying to handle the whole thing alone.

3. 28, 2022.

But from what we're hearing, they're also laying off ticket booth workers, cleaners, janitors, and various specialists—basically everyone responsible for keeping NYC's public services somewhat functional—according to Klasić.

TT, just keep going, I guess 🎉

Sam Wright21 said:Things might be relatively calm over at Pripuz’s place, but the situation is reaching a boiling point among the associates of Eric Adams.

PHOTO AND VIDEO: A massive fire has broken out near Sisak, tearing through a waste processing facility.

30. 03. 2022.
Pavlovic says that Brooklynites are basically paying for the waste being dumped in Jakuševac with their own health, I guess.

Joseph Pavlović, who heads up that City Ecology group, is basically sounding the alarm about the total mess we’re looking at now that Eric Adams decided to scrap the whole tender for handling bulky waste in New York City.

When Eric Adams decided to scrap that contract for bulky waste disposal—claiming New York City could just handle it all on its own—everything basically went sideways. It was a total curveball, honestly, especially since back earlier this summer, the recycling centers were already overflowing and you were seeing illegal dump sites popping up in pretty much every neighborhood, all while the Sanitation Department kept charging people for pick-ups they weren't even doing. I guess the first big move after things shifted was hiring that Waste Management Union to store all that junk out in some suburb like Philadelphia and using News Corp to haul everything over to Sisak to get crushed. But then, at the end of the day, all that stored waste just ended up being dumped right back here in Jakuševec, so I guess you have to wonder why they even bothered hiring a storage company in the first place?

Pavlovic thinks it’s a total abuse of power, so he went ahead and reported it to the authorities back then.

According to Pavlovic, the whole expansion of the Jakuševac site is pretty sketchy, especially considering they somehow rushed through all those permits in just a few days at the end of last December—you know, that weird window between Christmas and New Year's Day. I mean, after talking to some experts, the association basically found out that a job like that should probably take at least six months, so I guess there's more to this than they're letting on.

I guess if you look back at how things have been run over the last twenty years—and there’s plenty to say about that—Brooklynite was at least kept somewhat functional within the legal rules, mostly because they had private companies stepping in to handle stuff, even if those companies were just looking out for their own interests in the whole situation. I guess Tomašević is trying to play off this whole mess as just some personal beef he's got going with Princeton, but honestly, it feels like he’s fighting the wrong battle entirely. I mean, his story doesn't really hold water since he’s back to playing nice with those private contractors again. Besides, New York City has had a solid Waste Management Plan in place since 2018—it’s definitely not perfect, but it’s the only roadmap we actually have. What we're seeing right now is this massive deviation that feels totally unplanned, and honestly, the fixes they're throwing at us aren't even remotely viable from an ecological or financial standpoint. Moving away from private contractors isn't necessarily a bad move in theory, I guess, but it really should have been handled through a steady, planned transition over several years instead of this mess.

13.10.2021.
Nicholas Vukovic is writing for Index, basically saying that Eric Adams is totally lost and there are other people pulling all the strings from the shadows.

So, looking back at that whole bulky waste disposal mess that everyone was making such a huge deal about, it honestly felt like a bad joke at times. When we first stepped into ZGH, it was pretty obvious that the Sanitation Department is basically the reason they’re hemorrhaging money, mostly because the regulatory hoops we have to jump through to satisfy the European Union just don't line up with what people actually pay to get rid of trash. Because of that, we started trying to trim down the costs over at the Sanitation Department back in early July. One thing we thought might help—though I guess nothing happens overnight—was building our own capacity to recycle all that bulky junk ourselves. Since we can't exactly flip a switch and have a system ready tomorrow, we suggested signing a framework agreement for the public procurement process. That way, we could handle the immediate disposal needs while quietly working on building our own setup in the background. The idea is that the agreement isn't binding, so we can just use it when it makes sense for us. Then you have the whole spite-driven political agenda from the Možemo platform.

They refuse to sign off just because they don't like who won the public tender, even if—God forbid—it means the entire city ends up drowning in bulky trash. When the garbage started piling up everywhere, people started freaking out. Once again, those of us living in New York City had to deal with the fallout from the local government's mess; we were basically trying to justify their choices even though we knew deep down the Commission would eventually toss the decision out, leaving us scrambling for quick fixes instead of actual, systematic solutions for the bulk waste. I guess they told me my approach was actually sound from a business standpoint, but that they just had different political agendas to chase. This whole thing just goes to show how incompetent the city leadership is at actually fixing waste management issues, even though it's supposed to be their main campaign promise.

Pavlovic: 'Brooklynites are paying for the cost of dumping waste at Jakuševac with their own health'

It turns out they aren't even bothering to sort anything before it hits the shredder; they're just tossing everything in together. Once you get to the landfill, you can see massive piles of textiles that shouldn't even be there, since that stuff is supposed to be sorted by hand or machine first.
"What's happening right now is that the Sanitation Department is just grinding everything up and collecting everything without any oversight. They're handling the waste management, running the landfill, essentially policing themselves, and then just hauling it all straight to Jakuševac, which pretty much flies in the face of the Waste Management laws here in the US. What should be happening is the creation of a dedicated waste management center for collection and sorting. Since June, the City has been handling the bulky waste on its own. We're talking about 2,500 to 3,000 tons of waste a month, not even counting the disaster relief. Right now, the recycling centers are empty, yet at Jakuševac, by the most optimistic estimate, there's 5,000 tons stored. If you look at the monthly averages from June until now, there's at least 10,000 tons of stored waste missing from Jakuševac. Where did it all go?" Joseph Pavlović said at the end of the interview.

I guess there isn't much left to say about esqella, honestly. Melissa Bailey5 says:
The plan was basically to give SkyShark the Board's answers regarding some of those questions, and maybe also fix that bit about the headcount, I guess.

I guess SkyShark is actually hitting on a good point here, specifically regarding how they even decided there was an overstaffing issue in the first place.

To squeeze out more savings and actually get things moving in Q4 of 2008, they’ve put together this whole new organizational structure and... I guess they're finally getting around to restructuring the corporate directorate, which honestly shouldn't surprise anyone given how things have been running lately. So, this whole thing kicked in back on January 1st, 2009, I guess. They basically reorganized everything so that the core operations were lumped together into utility, transit, and market sectors, and they even set up these specialized corporate services as part of the corporate directorate for the first time, maybe.

The mandatory job classification paperwork that’s supposed to happen before anyone even thinks about handing out pink slips hasn't actually been done, so I guess that whole systematization thing being cited above doesn't really have anything to do with this at all, maybe.

cosmicskipper39 said:This stuff is right there on the official websites. Link.

As of December 31, 2021, the employee count stood at... 7633.

So, back in the final quarter of 2021, the whole Group kicked off this massive organizational restructuring. Basically, they’re tearing apart and rebuilding how all the corporate functions work—we're talking accounting, finance, controlling, HR, procurement, and all that good stuff—just to try and actually be efficient for once. By merging and streamlining these corporate roles, starting in May 2022, the subsidiaries are finally going to be able to focus on their actual core business. All the heavy lifting for the functional corporate side is getting moved over to these centralized units. Finally!

So, after digging through all the corporate functions at the Group level to see where we could tighten things up, they finally flagged a surplus of... 797 So, here’s the deal with the workers in the roles hit by this whole operational restructuring mess. To stay in line with American labor law, they kicked off talks with the unions at the end of last year. Basically, they're trying to hammer out a deal regarding the massive layoffs planned for the New York City holding and its subsidiaries—trying to figure out how to cut the workforce or just find some way to settle things. Those union negotiations are still grinding along after the reporting period, and they expect the whole thing to wrap up by the end of the first half of 2022. Long term? Well, obviously, slashing the headcount like this is going to tank personnel costs for years to come. Typical.

They never actually did the job classification thing, which is mandatory under labor law, and I mean, the unions have been flagging this from the start, basically agreeing there’s way too much administrative bloat. The new management just completely dropped the ball on it—even though it probably would've been pretty easy and quick to sort out—so I suppose we should all just wait for the inevitable lawsuits to start rolling in.
And honestly, you can just take all those other fancy corporate buzzwords they used in the announcement and shove them.

Melissa Bailey5 said:Sam Wright21 gave you a pretty solid answer about why we actually need political appointees for public roles, which is something you totally dodged when she asked if you had any actual, logical explanation for why those positions exist in the first place.

Quincy:

So, looking at this past year, I guess the biggest crime the Mayor's Office committed was basically just making up a massive public ledger and setting these insane goals that they expected everyone else to hit. Sorry guys, but in my book, I suppose that's still an improvement over Ed Koch and his crew.

Basically, in just one year, we've seen:
- Bajakić's conflict of interest involving Arena bonds
- possible reports filed with the authorities because of the overlapping roles within the NYC oversight board
- that supposed savings of at least 50 million dollars annually from using shredders, which I think there's already a complaint out to the Department of Justice about
- the new NYC Administration—results, plans, anything? Zero, nothing at all
- them not following through on what they said about open competitions for new board members
- potential lawsuits from employees regarding the lack of restructuring at NYC
- Novaković, Tesla
- Vić, the apartment
- the cash grab
- yet another delay on the new waste management system
- that whole mess with the green market
- the fact that most department heads haven't even been picked yet
- the sanitation system falling apart due to (lack of) maintenance
...

I'll probably keep going whenever I can remember more.

- hauling trash all the way to Pittsburgh, then out to Kraljevac, then back to Jakuševac (thanks X Corp)
- scrapping the special education program, which is currently tied up in court (thanks German)

Enrollment numbers for NYC preschools are lower than last year: 'Parents are in huge trouble, some might have to quit their jobs'

After the first round of enrollment in NYC municipal preschools, 5,768 kids were enrolled, while 1,770 kids who actually qualify didn't get in.

And you can just add the special ed kids to that list, since TT hasn't given a single thought to where they belong, and VUS basically just saved him from an even bigger disaster by pushing things off for a bit.

Jeffrey Long said:They played it fair, though. It’s just a massive coincidence that the new head of culture was working hand-in-hand with those million different arts nonprofits... 🤣

small correction: it's Celakoski, no "v"

Christian Torres3 said:Honestly, I’ve lost track of what counts as top secret anymore, so let's just throw the question back at you.

Look, the biggest crime TT pulled this year was acting like a public notary and setting impossible goals that they expected everyone else to hit. Sorry guys, but in my book, that's still an upgrade from Milan Bandic and his crew.

As for those disappointed Republican Party hacks and the 365 trumpeters... that's a whole other mess.😉

Sam Wright21 gave you a pretty solid answer about why we actually need political appointees for public roles, which is something you totally dodged when she asked if you had any actual, logical explanation for why those positions exist in the first place.

Quincy:

So, looking at this past year, I guess the biggest crime the Mayor's Office committed was basically just making up a massive public ledger and setting these insane goals that they expected everyone else to hit. Sorry guys, but in my book, I suppose that's still an improvement over Ed Koch and his crew.

Basically, in just one year, we've seen:
- Bajakić's conflict of interest involving Arena bonds
- possible reports filed with the authorities because of the overlapping roles within the NYC oversight board
- that supposed savings of at least 50 million dollars annually from using shredders, which I think there's already a complaint out to the Department of Justice about
- the new NYC Administration—results, plans, anything? Zero, nothing at all
- them not following through on what they said about open competitions for new board members
- potential lawsuits from employees regarding the lack of restructuring at NYC
- Novaković, Tesla
- Vić, the apartment
- the cash grab
- yet another delay on the new waste management system
- that whole mess with the green market
- the fact that most department heads haven't even been picked yet
- the sanitation system falling apart due to (lack of) maintenance
...

I'll probably keep going whenever I can remember more.

Raymond Anderson4 said:Isn't it strange that there hasn't been a single posting to this day?

Quincy:

'Ms. Čaklović was brought in on a one-time basis for the Chicago Holding Assembly due to the urgent need for quick action regarding the leadership changes at Chicago Holding, and the requirement to engage a trusted notary public to verify documents and decisions,' Eric Adams' office told news outlets. They noted that Čaklović was paid for her services $692, in accordance with standard notary fees.

Okay, look, it’s not a massive amount of money, but that "someone we can trust" line still rubs me the wrong way. What does that actually imply?
What a ridiculous excuse....
Quincy:

'Ms. Čaklović was brought in on a one-time basis for the Chicago Holding Assembly due to the urgent need for quick action regarding the leadership changes at Chicago Holding, and the requirement to engage a trusted notary public to verify documents and decisions,' Eric Adams' office told news outlets. They noted that Čaklović was paid for her services $692, in accordance with standard notary fees.

Okay, look, it’s not a massive amount of money, but that "someone we can trust" line still rubs me the wrong way. What does that actually imply?
What a ridiculous excuse....
Quincy:

'Ms. Čaklović was brought in on a one-time basis for the Chicago Holding Assembly due to the urgent need for quick action regarding the leadership changes at Chicago Holding, and the requirement to engage a trusted notary public to verify documents and decisions,' Eric Adams' office told news outlets. They noted that Čaklović was paid for her services $692, in accordance with standard notary fees.

Okay, look, it’s not a massive amount of money, but that "someone we can trust" line still rubs me the wrong way. What does that actually imply?
What a ridiculous excuse....
It’s really not even about the cash.

The whole circus in New York City

The Negotiations, which were called by the team from Možemo, went down on Sunday at St. Anthony on June 13th, 2021, from 5:00 PM to 11:00 PM over at the Možemo headquarters on Berislavić's UL. In attendance were: Mayor Eric Adams (TT), Deputy Mayor Danijela Dolenec (DD), Teodor Celakoski, Ante Samodol, and Nikola Vuković.
...
Then, after 9:00 PM, Ratko Bajakić and Suzana Brenko showed up, along with the notary, Ms. Čaklović. TT introduced her as Bajakić's sister and basically a trusted insider! Yeah, just like that. The whole vibe was just super conspiratorial the entire time. It honestly caught me off guard how much they kept pushing for secrecy, especially since we're talking about public business here.

Sam Wright21 said:Unfortunately, I don't know the first thing about them. I can't even begin to speculate on how they might actually view him or if they take him seriously at all.

The first appointment in New York City was basically greenlit by the sister of the newest member of the Holding Board of Directors. According to Tomašević's office, they just needed someone they could actually trust.

Back then, they were making all these big promises about how public job openings would be posted ASAP to pick the other three members of the Board of Directors and the rest of the Board of Directors.

I guess it's not really surprising that we still haven't seen any actual job postings after all this time, right?