Upon taking office, New York City?s new mayor, Bill de Blasio, will face about 300,000 municipal workers demanding over $7 billion in retroactive pay. During Mayor Bloomberg?s tenure the unions walked away from the negotiating table, convinced that the next mayor would be more amenable to their demands. While the unions supported Mr. de Blasio?s run for office, he may not deliver a much better deal than Mr. Bloomberg. The city is expected to face a $2 billion deficit next year and Mr. de Blasio has already stated that ?there?s no way in the world to pay out the full amount?. Mr. de Blasio has shown openness to talking about back pay, but says that the unions must come to the table with cost savings as well.
See "For de Blasio, Contract Talks Offer Problem", Steven Greenhouse, The New York Times, November 11, 2013