NJ State Worker Unions Up in Arms

LadyT

LadyT

JPP Modarater
Contributor
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newjersey/ny-bc-nj--propertytaxes-uni1130nov30,0,6011101.story?coll=ny-region-apnewjersey

"TRENTON, N.J. -- State worker unions vowed Thursday to picket government buildings throughout New Jersey to protest lawmakers' plans to try to cut property taxes by revamping government employee benefits. "

I may get my liberal card pulled for this >>

They need to accept it and move on. My company can at any given time change my health and pension benefits and guess what? I have to deal. Is it fair that people in the private sector are getting their benefits slowly stripped away but then have to prop up the union state workers? I don't think so. And don't get me wrong, teachers have a hard job, but they get paid pretty well for it considering they have ENTIRE summers off and just about every holiday off during the remainder of the year. Teachers around here get close to 60K from what I hear, plus they get a fat pension and great benefits.

I guess I'm jaded because I've seen so much union abuse over the last few years.

I'll never forget the time we did due diligence on a hospital and the manager was telling us that the lab techs that test the blood wouldn't pick up the samples that were at the window (yes, they would literally be feet away) because they were 'tech' and the union supported it. Meanwhile, someone's on their death bed waiting for test results.
 
uscitizen said:
Why should workers that our taxes pay for have better benefits than most of us do ?
Click to expand...

Exactly. Dem' da breaks. More and more companies are moving away from Pension plans and offering defined contribution plans instead. I think its only fair that the state should cut back as well. Maybe not if you're quickly approaching retirement age, but I think raising the retirement age is reasonable.
 
Damn! LadyT, we are sure screwing with some neocons heads on this thread are we not ? they do not believe libs can be logical.
 
They like to perpetuate the myth that liberals have no concept of fiscal responsibility, which isn't true.
 
And the neocons just keeping proving that they have no sense of fiscal responsibility ;) The cons under Regan did little better though.
And for Damo, no I am not saying that the Demoncrats are more fiscally conservative than the rebutlikens. They both suck as groups.
 
uscitizen said:
And the neocons just keeping proving that they have no sense of fiscal responsibility ;) The cons under Regan did little better though.
And for Damo, no I am not saying that the Demoncrats are more fiscally conservative than the rebutlikens. They both suck as groups.
Click to expand...
The Republicrats and Democans are pretty much interchangable when it comes to fiscal irresponsibility.
 
uscitizen said:
Right Damo, but at least the demoncrats don't claim to be fiscally responsible as a group....
Click to expand...
I make no such claim. Neither group has ever, in my lifetime, made government any smaller. That machine will only grow until half of the people in the nation will work for the government, while the other half are in Prison for smoking a doob.
 
No Damo you make no such claim, but as a party the rebutlikens do....
I consider you a reasonable repub. Still a bit confused on some things like the "liberal" media, put pretty good shape overall.
 
Last edited:
I disagree. I think dems are more fiscally responsible. At least they understand the concept of cash in/cash out. Republicans are debt hungry.

http://www.uuforum.org/deficit.htm

What they've all been irresponsible at is cutting down on gov't fat. Particularly in the military contracts department. that can be political suicide in this day in age, but believe or not, I think we waste more $$$ on building stockerholder value for the Lockheeds, Raytheons, and boeings.

What the gov't needs to do is skip that and pay for the research themselves and employ the engineers themselves so that they own the technology and keep military advancements inhouse.
 
I agree!

Let's blame unions! Lets' not demand collective bargaining rights for ouselves! Lets make sure the standards for ALL workers are dragged down, buy blaming those lucky enough to have collective bargaining!
 
Agreed ladyT. the dems have historically proven themselves to be more fiscally responsible than the repubs. but the repubs claim to be the only fiscally responsible ones. And neither parties even come close enough to what we need.
 
And don't get me wrong, teachers have a hard job, but they get paid pretty well for it considering they have ENTIRE summers off and just about every holiday off during the remainder of the year. Teachers around here get close to 60K from what I hear, plus they get a fat pension and great benefits.

Lady T,

three minutes on google, showed by that the average teacher salary in NJ is like 55K, and the beginning salary for a teacher there in about 35K.

That's not much money with somebody who has six years of college under their belt. Having summers off is a perk, but you have to balance that against the $$$$ they could potentially be making the the private sector with six years of college: basically, the equivalent of a bachelors degree and a graduate degree.
 
But what the hay ? Bush gave them a tax deduction for buying students supplies out of their own salary, so all is well ;)
 
Cypress said:
I agree!

Let's blame unions! Lets' not demand collective bargaining rights for ouselves! Lets make sure the standards for ALL workers are dragged down, buy blaming those lucky enough to have collective bargaining!
Click to expand...

I don't think its quite as simple as that.
Unfortunately sky rocketing health benefit costs are the reality we live in. I don't think its fair to ask us as tax payers to fund gov't benefits that we are losing too. Its not as though they are making a considerable less amount of money either. As the article points out Jersey state workers are very well compensated, and they are getting SWEET benefits at our expense. Its not fair.


http://pressofatlanticcity-proxy.na...4p-6109020c.html?current_report=retiree_costs

"Government health benefits are the envy of private-sector workers in New Jersey.

Most retired state workers and teachers, whose benefits are state-funded, pay nothing toward health-insurance premiums if they retire at age 55 or later after 25 years of service. Co-payments are minimal. "
 
"The workers can retire at age 55 and get full health benefits after 25 years of service. "

You name one company where you can do that now?
 
LadyT said:
"The workers can retire at age 55 and get full health benefits after 25 years of service. "

You name one company where you can do that now?
Click to expand...


The energy company, I used to work for.

A lot of people retired at 55 there.
 
Most companies are moving away from that. I know Lockheed used to be that way, they've recently upped the retirement age. I'd be surprised if they could still do that to be honest. How long ago was this?
 
LadyT said:
Most companies are moving away from that. I know Lockheed used to be that way, they've recently upped the retirement age. I'd be surprised if they could still do that to be honest. How long ago was this?
Click to expand...


I notice congressmen who complain most loudly about unions and pensions (motly conservative republicans), won't give up their congressional pensions for a cash-balance plan.

Bernie sanders introduced a resolution a few years back, to eliminate congressional pensions and convert them to cash balance plans - and it went down in flames.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top