Local 375 of District Council 37, along with OSA and other locals, held a small celebration last week. They were celebrating the imminent demise of the hand scanner part of CityTime. The celebration was held outside the local offices of the Virginia-based Science Applications International Corporation. SAIC is the firm that is behind CityTime.

Mayor Bloomberg has alternately praised and/or condemned CityTime over the past few months and, most recently, he has demanded all the money back from that firm.

OSA Vice-President Tom Anderson spoke at the rally to praise the mayor for his newfound clarity on this issue. Tom also suggested that the mayor front the money – $600 million – for SAIC, since the city is short cash right now, but the mayor himself is doing quite well, thank you. Tom figures the mayor can put the money up now and get it back from SAIC later.

Other news. As an OSA member and an active employee of the City, you should have just received a letter in the mail from the union informing you of an upcoming opportunity to purchase short term disability insurance through the Voluntary Insurance Program. This program is a supplemental benefit for those who may need or want more disability insurance than is provided through the OSA Welfare Fund’s long term disability benefit.

You can pay the premiums through payroll deduction. The plan is guaranteed issue, with no medical questions to answer or physical exam required, if you enroll during the open enrollment period which starts on August 1st and runs through April 30, 2012. More information about the program is available in the flyer you download by clicking this link.

The big news last week took place in Greece. Both retirees and civil servants had their income cut by 10% in order to obtain the last loan renewals – and are now having their incomes cut by a further 20%, all to service the debts owed to international bankers.

Greece, once the home of the earliest democracy, has now become subject to the will of the bankers. In England, also, public servants and retirees are being deprived of income to balance a budget predicated on the theory that taxing the rich is bad for business.

By comparison, here in New York City, we are fortunate, so far. We are now one year out-of- contract and the mayor keeps wondering about how much we can give him in our next, if ever, contract.

Now, there are two sides to this story, and we will let the New York Post and the Wall Street Journal write their side, but we will write and tell our own side as well.

We have avoided, deferred or defeated the worst of their plans so far and, on the occasion of the Fourth of July, it is timely to note that this is our country, not Wall Street’s.

As usual in July, we will now go to a biweekly update, so please check the "Newsline" again in two weeks.