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From Gov Corzine yet again changing his tack re how legislature should deal with pension & benefit reform to teacher & unions 'extreme' rally today statehouse, law-making logic is at risk...Let's hope reactive, poorly processed, fastracked legislation such as A4/S42 (not even a cost analysis/fiscal note attached to the bills) don't get passed in the fray.
Corzine issues veto warning in reform feud
Lawmakers told to act on pensions, but governor to make the final call
Monday, December 11, 2006
BY DEBORAH HOWLETT
Star-Ledger Staff
Setting up a showdown over property tax reform at the Statehouse today, a frustrated Gov. Jon Corzine yesterday fired off a letter to legislative leaders challenging them to send him whatever pension reform measures they can pass, and then he will sort it out with his veto pen.
"I encourage you to the lead the Legislature forward," Corzine wrote to Senate President Richard Codey (D-Essex) and Assembly Speaker Joseph J. Roberts Jr. (D-Camden). "Make your best judgment and move forward, but do not allow this issue to slow or impede our shared and overarching objectives."
Codey and Roberts told The Star-Ledger editorial board on Friday they fear the entire property tax reform effort is in jeopardy because of Corzine's meddling with a bill on pension reform.
In the letter to Codey and Roberts, Corzine said he "respectfully disagreed" with that assessment.
"I believe there is absolute consensus that we must act on these measures," Corzine said. "At the same time, we must acknowledge that pension abuse reforms bring little impact to an overall financial package. ... (But) these reforms most certainly do provide necessary credibility to our efforts."
Responding to Corzine's letter, Codey last night suggested no one was being well-served by the indirect communications with the governor.
"There needs to be a time out. This is turning into
Roberts did not return a voice mail message seeking comment.
Corzine contends the bargaining table is the only appropriate venue to decide changes in how unionized public employees are compensated. Last week, he asked lawmakers to address only the reforms that affect elected and appointed officials, who aren't covered by the collective bargaining agreement.
Democratic lawmakers acquiesced to Corzine, but Codey and Roberts said they now feel duped after they heeded the governor's challenge to be "bold" in proposing tough new reforms, even in the face of opposition from organized labor.
That has made it tough to persuade lawmakers to keep backing many of the other pending measures, such as plans to impose new oversight and limits on local school boards, Codey and Roberts said. Those plans are critical elements of the Legislature's ongoing efforts to pare down local government costs and control soaring property tax bills.
The sparring between Corzine and lawmakers is reminiscent of the battle six months ago over increasing the sales tax to balance the state's $31 billion budget. That fight resulted in Corzine shutting down state government for more than a week.
The Legislature is scheduled today to take up the first nine bills stemming from the 98 recommendations that four joint legislative committees made after a four-month special session on property tax reforms.
Meanwhile, the union representing public school teachers has organized a rally for today in
Corzine said if lawmakers are adamant about passing all 24 of the pension reforms, then they should pass all of the reforms for which Codey and Roberts can muster enough votes, and he will go through the bills line by line with his veto pen.
"I encourage you to lead the Legislature forward with the originally proposed bill or, alternatively, one that you judge will build the broadest consensus among your colleagues," Corzine wrote.
"If, in your judgment the originally proposed pension reform plan gets us closer to long-lasting reform, I will respectfully and objectively evaluate the merits of that legislation when it reaches my desk."
Corzine has the power of a "conditional veto," that is he can veto parts of a specific piece of legislation rather than the entire bill. The Legislature must then concur with the changes in order for the bill to be enacted into law.
Deborah Howlett covers politics. She may be reached at (609) 989-0273 or dhowlett@starledger.com.
NEW YORK TIMES December 11, 2006
War of Words in New Jersey on Tax Relief
Gov. Jon S. Corzine yesterday challenged New Jersey’s top two legislators to change the state’s pension and health benefits system, four days after telling them they should not be taking up the issue.
The Legislature has been considering the changes as one of many ways to reduce the state’s high property taxes. But last week, Mr. Corzine released a letter requesting that Richard J. Codey, the Senate president, and Joseph J. Roberts Jr., the Assembly speaker, postpone action on issues like changing how pensions are calculated. Mr. Corzine wrote that he would prefer to deal with such changes directly with unions during contract negotiations..
Legislators reacted angrily. In an article published on Saturday, Mr. Codey and Mr. Roberts, both Democrats like the governor, told the editorial board of The Star-Ledger of Newark that they worried that tax reform would be hindered by Mr. Corzine’s request.
So last night, in a letter to Mr. Codey and Mr. Roberts, Mr. Corzine said he was concerned about their comments.
“If you continue to hold these views, I encourage you to lead the Legislature forward with the originally proposed pension reform bill, or alternatively, one that you judge will build the broadest consensus among your colleagues,” he wrote.
“If in your judgment the originally proposed pension reform plan gets us closer to long-lasting reform, I will respectfully and objectively evaluate the merits of that legislation when it reaches my desk,” Mr. Corzine added. “Make your best judgment and move forward, but do not allow this issue to slow or impede our shared and overarching objectives.”
Earlier this year, the governor tangled with Mr. Roberts over Mr. Corzine’s proposal to raise the sales tax by one percentage point to help plug a $4 billion budget deficit. Mr. Roberts could not be reached for comment last night. But in an interview, Mr. Codey said: “There needs to be a time-out on letters. It’s turning into
Unions expect thousands at Statehouse
Educators hope to teach legislators a lesson on protecting benefits
Monday, December 11, 2006
BY ROBERT SCHWANEBERG
Star-Ledger Staff
As lawmakers convene today to consider measures intended to rein in
In concert with other public employee unions, the NJEA hopes to bring tens of thousands of workers to a
"We're hoping to send a message," said Lynn Maher, a spokeswoman for the NJEA. "The message is: We are not the problem. School employees, public employees, did not cause the property tax problem."
Both the Senate and Assembly are scheduled to vote today on a modest package of reform bills in tended to control or lower property taxes. Democratic leaders had already jettisoned more controversial proposals when, last Thursday, they acceded to Gov. Jon Corzine's request to take out any provisions affecting unionized workers and leave any such changes to ongoing contract negotiations.
Assemblyman Kevin O'Toole (R-Essex) contends the reform package has been so watered down that today's show of force by the unions is "kind of a moot point."
"Nothing's going to be done that's going to affect their pensions or anything else," O'Toole said.
Maher said the threat to unionized workers' pension and health care benefits has simply "been moved from the legislative table to the bargaining table. So the need for the rally is as great as ever."
In addition to the NJEA, unions scheduled to take part in the rally include the Communications Workers of America, the state AFL-CIO, the International Association of Firefighters and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
"We're expecting thousands and thousands of people, and that's just school employees," Maher said. "We do know we have at least 100 buses and each one holds 50 people." She said the NJEA was scrambling to line up additional parking lots to accom modate the many teachers ex pected to travel to the Statehouse by car.
Even so, Maher said the rally will not eclipse a massive demonstration held in June 1994 to protest then-Gov. Christie Whitman's plans to end state subsidies of pub lic employee pensions. That rally, held on a Sunday, drew 36,000 by the NJEA's own estimate and more than 25,000, according to State Police.
"It was a huge success in terms on numbers, but the Legislature wasn't in session," Maher said. She said she hopes today's demonstra tion will have a greater impact on lawmakers.
So many teachers have taken a personal day to attend that schools in
"Citizens have a right to rally and petition their government. However, I think it's very unfortunate that school districts have to close," said Senate Minority Leader Leonard Lance (R-Hunterdon). "Not only the children involved but the parents of the children involved rightly expect schools to be open the days they are scheduled to be open."
Maher said "all but a handful" of the state's 597 operating school districts remain open today and the few that chose to close will make up the school day later in the year.
"Students will not miss a day of school," Maher said.
Bills scheduled for floor votes today include measures creating a state comptroller, giving county superintendents veto power over local school budgets and forming a commission to recommend consolidation of local governments and school districts. Late last week, however, Senate President Richard Codey (D-Essex) said he may be unable to muster the votes needed to pass some of those bills.
Robert Schwaneberg covers state government. He may be reached at rschwaneberg@starledger.com or (609) 989-0324. Staff writer Dunstan McNichol contributed to this report.
March on Trenton may lead teachers down a risky road
Monday, December 11, 2006
Once, not long ago, teachers were scorned for their surrender to security, their willingness to exchange the chance for high salaries and advancement in the marketplace for good benefits, guaranteed pension and time off with their own children.
What slugs!
Now, teachers are scorned for that same obsession with security, but, my, how the world outside the classroom has changed. Teachers are still not making the best salaries -- unless you believe a median annual income of less than $60,000 annually for college-educated employees is big bucks -- but they still do have great benefits and guaranteed pensions. And lots of time with their own children -- and grandchildren.
Benefits like those are slipping out of the grasp of many private employees who worked all their lives and, while never becoming the entrepreneurial giants they hoped to be, believed they at least would have secure and dignified retirements.
Retirements now threatened by the very insecurity of the private marketplace they once embraced, while smirking at those who sought the security of public employment.
Retirements also now imperiled, in painfully exquisite irony, by a nearly confiscatory system of property taxes used by
What's worse is that teachers and other public employees not only enjoy these comforts, literally at the expense of the private sector, but they also have access to organizations that can make their employers cower and cave.
"Back off!" urged Joyce Powell, the head of the state's largest teachers' union, in rallying members of the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) to abandon their classrooms today to march on Trenton in defense of pensions and other benefits.
"Join NJEA and other public employee unions in the fight to protect members' pensions and medical benefits," Powell urged in her message to union members.
The call was so successful that some districts are closing for lack of teachers, a holiday in honor of the slugs' political clout. A clout lacking in the private sector, especially among white-collar, college-educated workers not represented by unions.
The people who pay both the property taxes and, increasingly, are losing health and retirement benefits. And, often, their very jobs.
I am not ready to call teacher union members selfish for wanting to do what private sector employees would do if they could -- protect pensions and medical benefits with whatever tools are available.
Selfish, no. Dangerously short-sighted, yes.
Lynn Maher, the NJEA's communications director, insists all employees, public and private, should have the right to health care and a secure retirement.
"That we are allowing private sector employees to lose the pensions they had every right to expect is a national tragedy," she says. "But that doesn't mean we in the public sector should not have health care and pension benefits. Do we want to be involved in a race to the bottom?"
She is right, but only in a broad, abstract way. Sympathy for the precarious plight of overtaxed, financially insecure private employees doesn't pay bills.
And it doesn't provide solutions for problems hurting workers -- exportation of jobs to cheap labor countries, runaway inflation in medical costs, the failure of the federal government to address the health insurance crisis. All the tears in the safety net.
A prominent labor attorney who represents both public and private unions says the refusal of public unions to appreciate the economic disasters facing their brethren in private employment "is seriously dividing" an already fractious labor movement.
"The reaction against public unions -- and Democrats -- could be serious and last a long time," says the lawyer, who doesn't want to be identified because of his dual roles.
The NJEA might have a successful rally today and demonstrate to politicians the union's power to pull off what amounts to a partial statewide teachers' strike. It might even block any current effort to reform pension and benefits.
But blocking reform now won't win any friends when the public funding crisis, as it certainly must, gets far worse in the future -- and those making the decisions are even less impressed with anyone's obsession with security.
Bob Braun's columns appear Monday and Thursday. He may be reached at rbraun@starledger.com or (973) 392-4281.