New York, NY

Undue Alarm on Pension Costs      To the Editor: There is a little-known fact about pension expenses at the New York City Employees’ Retirement System. Over the 10-year period from fiscal year 1995 to 2004, members of NYCERS contributed $2.7 billion into their pension system, while the city and the authorities paid in only $1.9 bil More ... Create Benefits Panel      To the Editor: Mayor Michael Bloomberg, like Governor George E. Pataki, senses shadows hanging over the state and city budgets. In his 2006 State of the City address, Mayor Bloomberg said, “The only chance to avoid the budget’s structural More ... Toussaint’s Troubles      To the Editor: I’d like to add a few observations to Richard Steier’s highly perceptive column on Roger Toussaint (Feb. 3 issue). Roger is, as you write, highly paranoid, though not without some reasons based on his past experience, as noted by Ray Sanchez in Newsday recently. More ... Account in Error      To the Editor: There are some factual errors in Richard Steier’s Razzle Dazzle column from last week. Julio Cesar Rivera, the vice president of Maintenance of Way and long-time Roger Toussaint associate, never approached me regarding the 2006 election at TWU Local 100. He approached my colleague, P More ... Extend Patriot Act      To the Editor: As the president of the 11,000-member New York City Sergeants Benevolent Association, the fifth-largest police union in the country, I believe that the reauthorization of the Patriot Act is essential to strengthening America’s defense against the scourge of terrorism. More ... EMS Job Hazards      To the Editor: In response to retired Firefighter Joe Donovan’s Jan. 27 letter in which he addressed an Emergency Medical Service employee and stated, “You have an extremely safe job,” that statement reflects more ignorance than first-hand knowledge. More ... Please click here for our Copyright Notice.