Christie Turns Attention to State Workers
NJ.com reports:
strong>TRENTON< — When Gov. Chris Christie went to war with the teachers union last year, leaders of unions representing New Jersey state workers nervously watched in the wings.
Now it’s their turn to go toe-to-toe with the governor.
With contracts for 49, 000 state workers due to expire this June, Christie has publicly proclaimed he wants no pay raises and expects state workers to fork over much more for health and pension benefits. Union leaders say they have had no meetings with the governor’s office and worry this doesn’t bode well for getting a deal before the current contracts are up.
"It’s going to be pretty ugly," said Jeff Keefe, a labor professor at Rutgers University. "I’m not sure we’re going to be well-served by what comes out of it. I wouldn’t be surprised if in September we’re still in negotiations."
At stake in this year’s talks are two of Christie’s signature issues: health and pension reform for state employees.
Christie has declared there will be no pay increases for state workers, recently making the commitment in an interview with Fox News. He also has made clear his expectations for cuts in employee benefits: increase pension contributions for all employees to 8.5 percent of salary, require state workers to pay 30 percent of their health care premiums, raise the retirement age, and eliminate cost of living adjustments for pension recipients.