City retirees' $46M bonus

The New York Post reports:

City taxpayers forked over $46.6 million last year to pay for the unused sick days, vacation and comp time of retiring city workers.
Teachers and other DOE workers got almost half of the cash -- $22.8 million, according to an analysis of the payouts prepared for The Post by the city's Independent Budget Office.
The total sum could pay for 740 teachers, as 4,100 teachers face layoffs, and save almost all the 20 firehouses slated to close.
A total of 6,999 city workers received payments in the year ending June 30, 2010, according to the report. Most left the city workforce, but some merely switched agencies.

The people vs. the powerful.