'Pink slips' for legislators
Public employee unions wasted no time reacting to the proposal by three Democratic state legislators to cut state employee salaries and benefits by 15 percent as an alternative to raising the state sales tax from 6 percent to 7 percent.
One of the unions, Local 195 of the IFPTE, faxed "Pink slip notices" to legislators yesterday.
"Be advised that you are officially being put on notice that it we lose our jobs and/or benefits, we will do everything possible to see that you lose yours. Be assured that there are more than enough voting members of various public sector unions to enforce this pink slip. It's Your Choice!"
The union's Web site ( http://www.local195.org, which greets you with a song titled "Solidarity Forever" played to the tune of "Battle Hymn of the Republic" when you access the home page, boasts that the local "provides the most progressive and forceful representation of Public Employees in State, County and various Authorities throughout all of New Jersey." It says the local has about 6,500 members.
The battle lines have been drawn between public employees and taxpayers. It won't be long before we find out whether legislators will finally shift their allegiance toward the people they were elected to represent.
One of the unions, Local 195 of the IFPTE, faxed "Pink slip notices" to legislators yesterday.
"Be advised that you are officially being put on notice that it we lose our jobs and/or benefits, we will do everything possible to see that you lose yours. Be assured that there are more than enough voting members of various public sector unions to enforce this pink slip. It's Your Choice!"
The union's Web site ( http://www.local195.org, which greets you with a song titled "Solidarity Forever" played to the tune of "Battle Hymn of the Republic" when you access the home page, boasts that the local "provides the most progressive and forceful representation of Public Employees in State, County and various Authorities throughout all of New Jersey." It says the local has about 6,500 members.
The battle lines have been drawn between public employees and taxpayers. It won't be long before we find out whether legislators will finally shift their allegiance toward the people they were elected to represent.
posted by Randy Bergmann at 10:55 AM
9 Comments:
Interesting how you say that state workers are drawing battle lines between themselves and taxpayers. The State is the largest employer in New Jersey. So, you're saying that at least in part public employees are drawing battle lines between themselves and, well, themselves.
Let's stop being short sighted about public employee renumeration. First, for most of them, they don't make out as well as many would have you believe. Second, the well-to-do just love to see average Joes and Janes fighting to lower one another's standard of living. If your renumeration is falling like most people's is, stop complaining about what other folks make and organize. Fight for more from your employers instead of trying to hurt other average folks just like you.
It is TIME the public taxpayers take back there town we MUST stop this give away to union's demands ,and our leaders selling us out !
"The State is the largest employer in New Jersey".Well that just about says it all what more proof do taxpayers need the unions are overbloated overpaid and have to much power over our legislators PROPERTY TAX IS SPINNING OUT OF CONTROL....everyone must take a stand against this giveway!
Public employee unions just don't get it ....NEW JERSEY has the HIGHEST property tax in the UNITED STATES....why? people are overpaid underworked....people are fleeing the state in droves ,pretty soon we will not need ANY Public employee.
State employees are not paid via property tax. Unions are not overpaid by the state. Unions get their money from union members.
we need higher sales tax like a hole in the head when Corzine said"I'm not considering raising taxes. It's not on my agenda. We have a very high-rate tax structure. I'm not considering it." Voters elected him with a 239,280-vote margin over his Republican opponent Doug Forrester...We as tax payers are holding him to his word ,OR we will have a recall !
no one is saying state workers should lose jobs, but if there were gains in productivity, numbers of employees could decrease by attrition.
oops- productivity.
oops- loss of dues paying members
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State employee leaders claim that the contract they bargained with the state should be honored. I couldn't agree more…Perhaps these state employees ought to take a hard look at their own contract, because it spells out in plain English that the buck stops ultimately with the Legislature when it comes to continuing their entitlements each year through the appropriation process. Our reform plan and the underlying premise of their contract is consistent because it states clearly that state employees need to cooperate fully in the interest of the state during times of fiscal constraint!
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