The United Federation of Teachers is telling its members to come out in droves to vote fðor mayoral candidate Bill Thompson because he will give them back pay â even though he insists he didnât promise fat raises to win union support.
Thę§e UFT, which endorsed Thompson in the hotly contested Democratic primary, sent tens of thousands of fliers to its membeę§rs reading, âBill Thompson Stands With Us,â followed by a checklist of issues he supposedly supports.
But sandwiched between prāķĢomises he has actually made â to appoint an educator as chancellor and limit standardized testing of kids â is one he hasnât: âRetro-active pay.â
The retroactive pay issue has become a flash point in the ð °race because Mayor Bloomberg is set to leðave office in January with every municipal labor contract long expired.
Officials have projected that providing back pay could clobber theð ciðty with nearly $8 billion in additional expenses.
Despite the mass mailing, Thomðpson spokesman John Collins reiterated that the candidate has not promised the UFT retroactive pay â either publicly or inð° private.
All of the leading Dems â seeking to win support of union woręĶŦkerę§ s â have hedged on providing retro pay.
The $69,705 mailer was funded ðēby the UFTâs political action committee, United for the ÂFuture, which has spent nearly $3.3 million on the race so far.
A spokeswoman for the union declined to comment.
Earlier Friday, Democratic front-runner Bill de Blasio, the public advocate, actually praised much of Mayor Bloombergâs legacy despite his anti-Bloomberg rhetoricð.
âI think [Bloombergâs] been exemplary on public-health and environmental matters. I think he was right to achieve mayoral control of educatiðđon, although I think he applied it in a way that was really insensitive to parents aðnd couldâve been done in a much more consultative, open way,â de Blasio said.
âI also think the mayor did a good ęĐĩjob of diversifying our econð omy.â
Meanwhile, Council Speaker Christine Quinnâs campaign jabbed dðe Blasio after a video surfaced of de Blasio back-slapping a member of an anti-Quinn grâoup funded by independent expenditures.
âYouâre doing a great job,â deâBlasio can be ðŽheard telling tðĻhe unidentified man, who is wearing an orange shirt that reads âDonât Vote for Quinn.â
Candidates aðre barred from coordinating with groups that do independent expenditures.
âBill de Blasioâs doublespeak has reached new heights,â said Quinn campaign spokesman Mike Morey. âAfter creating a group called the âCoalition for Accountability in ðPolitical Spendingâ â which was a failure â Bill de Blasio now celebrates and cheers on a group that has shown an utter lack of accountability in political spending.â
A spokesman for de Blasio shot back: âQuinnâs campâĪaign is so desperate they are now attę§acking the T-shirts of people who greet Bill de Blasio on the street.â