New Jersey's Teacher Union Climate

New Jersey Left Behind:

The big news today is that the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee in a 9-4 vote released legislation that would increase public employee contributions to health care premiums from 1.5% to between 3.5%-35% of the premium. Higher-paid employees would contribute more and lower-paid employees would contribute less. Pension contributions would also go up by a percentage point or two, and the increases would be phased in over a few years.

The bill now goes to the Assembly Budget Committee on Monday, and then to the full Senate on Thursday.

It's unclear whether Assemblywoman Sheila Oliver's proposal to have the legislation sunset after four years is still a go.

Amidst the Senate deliberations yesterday, public worker unions, including NJEA, held a smaller-than-expected rally; the subsequent news reports and editorials in today's papers largely express astonishment at the loss of power of collective bargaining units. Here's a sampling:

Vince Giordano, NJEA Executive Director, sounded both bewildered and threatening in NJ Spotlight:

Posted by Jim Zellmer at June 19, 2011 1:14 AM
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