Ledger/TRENTON — "To hoots and hisses from public employee union leaders who packed a committee room, an Assembly panel approved five bills Thursday that would make broad changes to public workers’ pension and health care benefits. Three of the five bills have already passed the Senate..."

N.J. Assembly panel approves five bills on state employee pension, health care changes

By Lisa Fleisher/Statehouse Bureau

March 18, 2010, 9:41PM.
TRENTON — To hoots and hisses from public employee union leaders who packed a committee room, an Assembly panel approved five bills Thursday that would make broad changes to public workers’ pension and health care benefits. Three of the five bills have already passed the Senate.

“These reforms are not an attack on our public workers,” Assemblywoman Nellie Pou (D-Passaic), chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee, said to loud jeers.

The bills, which would largely affect future workers, are the Legislature’s attempt to reform a pension system underfunded by, at last count, $46 billion. Public workers say the state is to blame for failing to contribute $9.5 billion to the fund since 2004.

After suffering weeks of public battering from Gov. Chris Christie — including Tuesday’s budget address when he mentioned how much one union charges its members in dues — union leaders erupted with their fiercest language to date.

“To have the governor of this state stand up and . . . and talk about the amount of dues that people pay, what business (of his is) that?” said Bill Lavin, president of the state Firefighters Mutual Benevolent Association. “It’s no different than the amount of cheeseburgers that he eats in a week, for crying out loud. You want to talk about anger? I am trying to be as professional as I possibly can, but I’m disgusted.”

Three bills, identical to measures passed last month by the Senate, would ban future part-time workers from the pension system, reduce benefits for future workers and require all current workers in the system to pay at least 1.5 percent of their salaries toward health care, among other changes. One committee member, Linda Stender (D-Union), voted no. The bills now move to the full Assembly.

The two new bills prevent executive directors of state and local authorities from making more than the governor and prevent other authority employees from making more than members of the governor’s cabinet.

Christie makes $175,000; members of his cabinet make $141,000. The other bill would ban future workers at nonpublic associations — such as the New Jersey State League of Municipalities and the New Jersey Association of Counties — from being in state pension plans. Some workers at those groups are in the system.

Union leaders suggested the bills would destroy much of the good services residents have come to expect by pushing experienced workers into retirement and dissuading talented people from choosing government careers. They said children would suffer if experienced educators are not in place to implement new federal requirements, and that it would be more difficult to solve crimes if experienced prosecutors leave for private practice.

“You don’t walk in as an assistant prosecutor and try a homicide, and try a rape, and try a child molester,” said Michelle Gasparian, an assistant prosecutor with Mercer County. “If you want a prosecutor to stay, you’ve got to give them a reason.”

Related coverage:

• Gov. Chris Christie wants part-time state employees out of pension system

• N.J. Assembly is unlikely to vote on pension changes before Gov. Christie's budget address

• N.J. public workers union leaders argue against pension ballot question