By Marisa Herman (NEWSMAX)
New York City’s emergency medical services union president told Fox News that “people will die needlessly” if proposed budget cuts and layoffs are implemented.
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio said as many as 22,000 public employees could possibly lose their jobs as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. And the city’s firefighters and EMTs are not immune from possibly losing their jobs, according to Fox News.
Oren Barzilay, president of FDNY EMS Local 257, told Fox News that the mayor’s plan to balance the budget could mean 400 emergency medical responder positions may be eliminated.
He said budget cuts and layoffs could lead to delays in service, which could result in deaths if a victim can’t wait in an emergency situation.
“People will die needlessly,” he said.
He added that seven members have died working on the front lines combating coronavirus since the outbreak.
“Even with the threat of a second wave of COVID-19 looming and two recent outbreaks in Brooklyn, Bill de Blasio and his team at City Hall wants to balance the city’s budget on our backs,” Barzilay told Fox News.
The city is trying to avoid enacting any budget cuts and layoffs by pushing for a stimulus.
“And again, our job is to work together to try and avert it because the last thing we want to do in the middle of an economic crisis is lay off a bunch of people and not provide as much service,” de Blasio said of the budget shortfall.
The mayor said long-term borrowing in Albany will likely be the solution to avoiding layoffs, even if the federal government steps in to help out.
Press secretary Bill Neidhardt told Fox News that the city doesn’t want to issue layoffs but noted “this is the hole we are in without a stimulus or borrowing authority.”
“Our EMTs and firefighters save lives every day and we are working with their unions to find personnel savings to avoid layoffs, but unfortunately all agencies will face layoffs,” he said. “Without a stimulus or borrowing authority, EMTs and firefighters will have to find personnel savings.”
On Wednesday, de Blasio warned every agency of the city government will face a “huge fiscal impact.”
No layoff notices have been sent out yet. According to Fox News, the city is still in discussions with all unions to discuss other ways to save money.
