Only In New York

Thousands of municipal workers took to the streets of New York in a huge demonstration protesting years of not receiving pay raises. Teachers, firefighters, off-duty police officers, and sanitation workers shut down three lanes of traffic outside City Hall, carrying signs that read "Fair Contract Now." Labor leaders say that the city's unionized workforce has gone years without new contracts, and that members are owed more than $7 billion dollars in back pay. They are calling on Mayor Michael Bloomberg to provide relief to struggling workers, however he says that New York City can't afford to meet protester's demands. Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers, argues that New York City's $2 billion dollar budget surplus shows that the city has the money to give workers a raise. Protesters are asking Mayor Bloomberg to "have a heart," and saying "We need a fair contract. We need respect, and we need dignity."