New Jersey Legislative Agenda 2023
State Worker Pension Payment
The New Jersey Public Employees’ Retirement System is severely underfunded due to neglect by administrations from both political parties. In 2021 the legislature passed the FY2022 budget that included Governor Murphy’s proposal to make the first full public worker pension payment in a quarter of a century. The Governor and the legislature made another full pension payment last year and have proposed making another full payment this year.
What We’re Fighting For
➔ $7.1 Billion pension payment in FY2024 Budget
➔ Continue full pension payments in future years, creating retirement security for hundreds of thousands of current and former state workers
Expansion of Collective Bargaining Rights for Local Government and College Workers
In 2022, the legislature passed the Responsible Collective Negotiations Act that provides essential collective bargaining rights for state workers including the ending the practice of management contract imposition and the expansion of scope of bargaining. Unfortunately, workers in local government and at public colleges and universities were carved out of the bill before final passage.
What We’re Fighting For
➔ Passage of bill that extends non-imposition and expanded scope of bargaining to workers in local government and state colleges and universities
➔ Inclusion of Binding Arbitration for Major Discipline in local government and state colleges and universities
Relief for Local Government Workers from Crushing Health Care Premium Increases
On January 1, 2023 healthcare premiums for local government workers went up 24% reportedly due to post-COVID healthcare utilization. CWA is advocating for the state to fund the cost of the increase, holding local government workers harmless.
What We’re Fighting For
➔ The State should use federal COVID and budget surplus dollars to fund the cost of the premium increase in the FY2024 State Budget
➔ The State should create transparency by providing all data necessary for unions to negotiate cost savings
➔ The State should create accountability by providing parity for unions on the State Health Benefit Commission
Extend the New Jersey Corporate Business Tax (CBT) Surcharge
Enacted in 2018, and extended in 2020, the CBT Surcharge collects additional taxes on business profits over $1 million. The Corporate Business Tax Surcharge is scheduled to expire on December 31, 2023, robbing the state of New Jersey of over $1 billion of revenue annually at a time when the state continues to struggle to fund important services like education and healthcare.
What We’re Fighting For
➔ The State should extend the CBT Surcharge, retaining $1 billion in annual revenue
➔ Additional revenue should be used to pay for critical services and to offset crushing increases in healthcare premiums caused by corporate greed
Major Victory!
Signed into Law: Reduced Waiting Period for Unemployment Insurance Benefits for Striking Workers
Under previous law, striking workers in New Jersey had to wait 30 days before being eligible for Unemployment Insurance Benefits. This year, we helped pass a bill to reduce the waiting period to two weeks, as it is in the State of New York. This bill completely eliminates the UI waiting period if management brings in scabs to replace striking workers.