Unlike Their Bold Counterparts In Wisconsin Who Earlier This Year Chose To Flee Their State Rather Than Agree With Gov. Scott Walker's Union Busting, Collective Bargaining Restricting Agenda, New Jersey's Scared Democrats Recently Sided With Gov. Christie To Enact His Anti-Union Plan Which Phases Out Collective Bargaining Rights Of Public Workers (Police, Fire Fighters, Teachers) & Restricts Their Health Benefits Package.
Amazing!
My Prayer Is For All Of The Scared New Jersey Dems Who Sided With Christie On This Anti-Union Vote, To Be Kicked Out Of Public Office By Democratic Challengers In The Next Election.
Why?
It Was A Political Trap Set Up By Christie & Those Dimwitted, Scared Democrats Walked Right Into It.
If You Are That Dumb & Scared, Then You Should NOT Be Serving In Public Office To Represent Anyone!
VOTE OBAMA IN 2012!!
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N.J. state workers protest as Assembly prepares to vote on pension overhaul bill
New Jersey lawmakers tonight voted to enact a sweeping plan to cut public worker benefits after a long day of high-pitched political drama in the streets of Trenton and behind closed doors.
Union members chanted outside the Statehouse and in the Assembly balcony, and dissident Democrats tried to stall with amendments and technicalities. Although they successfully convinced top lawmakers to remove a controversial provision restricting public workers’ access to out-of-state medical care, they failed to halt a historic defeat for New Jersey’s powerful unions and a political victory for Republican Gov. Chris Christie.
"Together, we’re showing New Jersey is serious about providing long-term fiscal stability for our children and grandchildren," Christie said in a statement released after the vote. "We are putting the people first and daring to touch the third rail of politics in order to bring reform to an unsustainable system."
Christie and Republicans banded together with Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) and Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex) to advance the bill despite opposition from the majority of Democrats who control the Legislature.
More than 8,500 protesters, the most this year, poured into Trenton this morning with signs, speeches and their trademark inflatable rat. But most had dispersed by the time Democrats emerged from their hours-long caucus meetings where they debated the bill’s details and a separate budget proposal. The Assembly convened for a vote at about 6:15 p.m., more than five hours late, and lawmakers delivered speech after speech on the bill for nearly three hours.
"We cannot afford to put off these needed reforms for another year," said Assemblyman Lou Greenwald (D-Camden), a sponsor. "Kicking the can down the road and doing nothing will only require more sacrifice from taxpayers and public workers in the future."
The bill passed the Assembly 46-32 and will be sent to Christie’s desk for his signature. Fourteen Democrats voted for the bill, while 32 opposed it. After the vote, protesters in the balcony shouted "Shame on you!"
Unions have blasted the bill for ending their ability to collectively bargain their medical benefits. Health care plans for 500,000 public workers would be set by a new state panel comprised of union workers and state managers, rather than at the negotiating table. A sunset provision would allow unions to resume collective bargaining after increased health care contributions are phased in over four years.
In addition, police officers, firefighters, teachers and rank-and-file public workers would all pay more for their pensions and health benefits.
Supporters of the bill say the state needs to cut costs because the pension and health systems are underfunded by more than $120 billion total. The Christie administration estimated the bill would save $3 billion in health benefits over the next 10 years and $120 billion in pension costs over 30 years. Much of the pension savings are from the controversial elimination of the cost-of-living adjustments for retirees, which unions have threatened to challenge in court.
Christie, who has staked his reputation on shrinking government costs, has called the bill a model for the the country. New Jersey is one of 23 states that have asked workers to pay more for their pensions since the Wall Street crisis in 2008, according to the Pew Center on the States.
The Assembly passed the bill much like the Senate did on Monday. Democrats voting for the bill have been either from South Jersey and allied with that region’s power broker, George Norcross, or from North Jersey and tied to Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr.
Most Democrats denounced the bill, and Assemblyman Joseph Cryan (D-Union), the Assembly majority leader, called it "one of the most stunned and disheartening times" of his career.
Today's union protest, like other recent demonstrations, did nothing to stop the bill. But it did highlight the growing fissures in the state Democratic Party. While Sweeney and Oliver were pushing the bill, the chairman of the state party, Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex), was rallying protesters with two-dozen other Democrats. "I represent the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party," he said. Bob Master, a leader in the Communications Workers of America, said Democrats should not be "collaborating" with Christie.
Later, on the Assembly floor, Republicans heaped praise on Oliver while her Democratic colleagues condemned the bill. Assemblyman Joseph Malone (R-Burlington) said she showed courage, saying "I’ll remember your actions for the rest of my life."
Sweeney, who has urged cuts to public worker benefits, said the legislation would help save the state’s retirement system.
"Nobody is talking about how we protected 800,000 people’s pensions," he said today. "I don’t apologize for that."
Over the years, lawmakers and local leaders from both parties have offered increased benefits to public employees, often in exchange for political support. But even as benefits improved, the state and municipalities failed to meet its financial obligations. Since 2004, the state has not made $15.11 billion in required payments to the pension funds, while the municipalities have skipped $1.9 billion. Public employees, meanwhile, have fully paid their required contributions.
As a result, the state has a $54 billion shortfall in its pension system, among the highest in the nation. New Jersey’s health benefit system is in even worse shape than the pension fund and is the most poorly funded in the nation at $66.8 billion in the hole, according to the Pew Center on the States.
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Sources: Business Insider, MSNBC, NJ.com, Politico, Youtube, Google Maps
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