You Get $3.4 Billion In Retroactive Pay; We Shunt You Off To Express Scripts And Tell The 6 O’Clock News It Will Save Billions

Retroactive pay is fucking bullshit and everyone knows it, but congratulations anyway on a truly significant progressive victory in which no one in charge actually feels responsible for anything other than satisfying whatever constituency it was that supported them:

“Working together, we identified significant healthcare cost savings, the kinds of savings that have been talked about for years, but never achieved until this group of individuals got together and found common ground,” said Mayor de Blasio.

Multiple reporters asked for details as to what these measures would include, but the questions were largely dodged. Robert Linn, the City’s director of labor relations, gave two examples of potential cost savers: having radiology and blood work done in a central location as opposed to a doctor’s office, and purchasing prescription drugs through a single entity. UFT President Michael Mulgrew mentioned there would be a joint committee at the MLC that would come up with cost cutting measures in a transparent way.

One possible change noticeably missing is having workers contribute to paying their healthcare premiums, something fiscal watchdogs have been suggesting for years. Linn hinted that measure was not a part of the conversation: “We think there are menus that we have put together that don’t involve shifting cost to employees and to provide much more efficient, effective healthcare.”

The healthcare benefits New York City municipal workers enjoy is rare in that they do not pay any money toward their healthcare premiums. Only the city of Los Angeles offers a comparable benefit, according to a 2013 report from Citizens Budget Commission (CBC).

When Someone Says “I Have Immense Respect For What [Blank] Does” It Means That He Or She Actually Has Little Respect For What [Blank] Does

The Daily News, on a nag jag, points out a logical inconsistency in the mayor’s thinking:

“It’s apples and oranges. . . . I have immense respect for what (the NYPD does) to keep us safe, and the police horses have been a part of that,” the mayor said.

Also, he’s still unclear about how to make fighting fires “progressive”:

The mayor said he is “of course” conducting a search for a replacement, but wouldn’t specify when he might name a new FDNY boss.

“He’s performed admirably, and I give him a lot of respect,” he said of the outgoing commissioner.

A Lot Of People Think I’m Just A Punk Kid Making Pizzas

Dough . . . spinning . . . dough . . . spinning:

Despite dangling a lofty salary that nearly matches his own, Mayor Bill de Blasio hasn’t been able to find anyone to become his communications director.

Sources said at least three candidates who were interviewed said thanks, but no thanks.

Democratic insiders say the position would be challenging in the best of circumstances — and the administration is hardly operating at that level.

“You’re as good as the substance you’re spinning,” said a veteran Democratic spokesman.

From The Bullpen To The War Room

“The people are almost always ahead of their leaders,” emphasis on “almost always”:

UPKNYC, which is run by many of Mr. de Blasio’s former campaign aides, was founded as a grass-roots-style effort to help the mayor secure state money for his prekindergarten and after-school proposals.

But its shift into television advertising suggests its resources can be used for more expressly political purposes, such as maintaining Mr. de Blasio’s image with New Yorkers, rather than for simply promoting an education policy plan.

The cost for the new commercial, for example, is at least four times what UPKNYC — which refers to universal prekindergarten — spent on its lobbying efforts during the first two months of the budget negotiating process in Albany.

Because it was incorporated as a nonprofit, the group has not yet been required to disclose its donors, and its organizers have been unwilling to provide a list of contributors. Officials at one of Mr. de Blasio’s closest labor allies, 1199 S.E.I.U. United Healthcare Workers East, confirmed on Tuesday that the union had contributed $200,000.

A spokesman for UPKNYC, Dan Levitan, declined on Tuesday to discuss the sources of the group’s money.

Mr. Levitan, who served as a campaign spokesman during Mr. de Blasio’s mayoral bid, said in a statement that the ad was meant to show that the mayor was delivering on a campaign pledge to introduce a full-day prekindergarten network in the city.

“We want to make sure everyone knows about the program,” he said.

Whatever “Progressive” Means, It’s Clear It Has Little To Do With Making Actual Progress

The greatest thing about the mayor’s short tenure may be the concept of the “City Hall background integrity screening”:

Mayor Bill de Blasio is demanding total control over the hiring process in his new administration — including direct oversight of deputy commissioners, chiefs of staff and press secretaries — in what those in his camp fear could be slowing down the process.

The mayor’s office plans to closely oversee all hiring decisions, not just those of department heads, including handpicking resumes of worthy candidates for several layers of subordinate positions, and getting final approval for all proposed hires, according to a memo obtained by DNAinfo.com New York.

“After you select a candidate…you must submit requests for approval to hire the candidate from your Deputy Mayor and for final approval from the Mayor’s Chief of Staff prior to appointment,” de Blasio’s Chief of Staff Laura Santucci wrote to agency heads on March 31. “All approvals are subject to City Hall background integrity screening of the candidate.”