Category Archives: Anthony Shorris

Labor Contracts: The Superior Officers Edition



Mayor Bill de Blasio tonight announced contract agreements with a coalition of eight unions representing superior officers of the uniformed services.  Speaking at a hastily arranged evening press conference, de Blasio was joined by representatives of the Detectives Endowment Association, Uniformed Fire Officers Association, Lieutenants Benevolent Association, Sanitation Officers Association, Correction Captains Association, Captains Endowment Association, Assistant Deputy Wardens/Deputy Warden Association and Uniformed Sanitation Chiefs Association.  The coalition members voluntarily allied themselves and bargained together with the City for identical agreements.

The tentative agreements provide for 11% wage increases and run for seven years from the expiration of each union’s prior contract in 2011 or 2012.  They also include expected health care savings.  The tentative agreements do not appear to have catch-up of retroactive pay occurring after expiration of the new contract, as has occurred in some other labor deals struck by the de Blasio administration.  Each tentative agreement must be ratified by the respective applicable union.

Upon ratification of these proposed agreements the City will, by it’s account, have reached  labor agreements with 71% of its workforce.  Bob Linn, the City’s chief labor negotiator, said tonight that the City is currently negotiating with all of the City’s remaining unions other than the PBA.  The PBA has declared an impasse in its talks with the City and commenced the process of binding arbitration.

de Blasio Statement:

Here is Mayor de Blasio’s opening statement:

Richter Statement:

The sole labor representative to speak was Roy T. Richter, president of the Captains Endowment Association.  Richter described the agreement as ” marked by a sense a fairness and also by an ability to communicate” with the City that he suggested was not present during the Bloomberg administration.  Here is Richter’s full statement:


Q&A:

The Mayor entertained only “on topic” questions.  Here’s the full Q&A:

de Blasio Press Q&A: The Endless Snow Edition (Updated)



Today Mayor Bill de Blasio held a press conference addressing the city’s response to the storm that arrived overnight.  The fourth storm of de Blasio’s five weeks as mayor, it brought the new wrinkle of including ice as part of the precipitation.

Rock Salt & Governor Cuomo:

Wednesday morning, Governor Cuomo told reporters that in order to alleviate a shortage of rock salt, he was ordering deliveries of New York State’s rock salt supplies to New York City and other municipalities.  When asked by the NY Times Kate Taylor, Mayor de Blasio described a far less dire supply situation, while seeking to avoid any sort of dispute with the governor.  The question also featured a rare on-camera moment for First Deputy Mayor Tony Shorris.  Although he’s frequently at the mayor’s press conferences, Shorris clearly prefers an off-camera role.

Update – Full Press Q&A:

Mayor de Blasio answered storm related “on-topic” questions only.  Among the questions: whether he’ll speed up his move to Gracie Mansion in order to avoid snow shoveling, a reported road salt shortage, the current blood supply shortage and whether he’ll donate blood, whether he would consider allowing boroughs or school districts to make their own decisions on closing for inclement weather, the 911 response times and city overtime costs, what Sanitation Commissioner Doherty learned from the second storm of this administration, the cause of a signal failure this morning on the 1/2/3 subway line and his take on the many snow storms in his brief tenure.  Here is his full press Q&A.

de Blasio Press Q&A – Shorris Appointment



Today Bill de Blasio announced the first appointments for his administration.  Anthony Shorris will be first deputy mayor, Dominic Williams will be chief of staff to Shorris and Emma Wolfe will be Director of Intergovernmental Affairs.

Following statements by de Blasio, Shorris, Williams and Wolfe, de Blasio answered questions from the press.  Topics included the role of de Blasio’s wife, Chirlane McCray, in making these appointments, the anticipated structure of de Blasio’s administration and whether all commissioners will report to Shorris, de Blasio’s strategy for seeking Albany approval of his proposed tax increase to fund pre-K programs and Anthony Shorris’s part-time consulting work during a prior stint as a full time city employee.

Here is the complete press Q&A.