CWAers Fight for Full Pension Funding

 

CWA members filled the halls of the New Jersey Statehouse on June 22 for a Lobby Day for full pension funding. CWAers held face-to-face meetings with Senate and Assembly members, telling them to commit to making a full pension payment and to vote to override a potential veto by Gov. Christie. Efforts throughout the spring included in-district legislative meetings with CWA members and more than 6,000 calls from CWA members to their state legislators.  CWA and other public sector unions were successful in persuading the legislature to pass a budget that included a $3.1 billion pension payment required by the 2011 pension and benefits law by raising taxes on millionaires and profitable corporations.   Every Democrat in the legislature voted for the pension payment.  And every Republican in the legislature voted against it, even though Republican support for the payment schedule outlined in the pension and benefits law was unanimous.  

CWA members filled the halls of the New Jersey Statehouse on June 22 for a Lobby Day for full pension funding.

CWAers held face-to-face meetings with Senate and Assembly members, asking them to commit to making a full pension payment and to vote to override a potential veto by Govenor Chris Christie.

Efforts throughout the spring included in-district legislative meetings with CWA members and more than 6,000 calls from CWA members to their state legislators.  CWA and other public sector unions were successful in persuading the legislature to pass a budget that included a $3.1 billion pension payment required by the 2011 pension and benefits law by raising taxes on millionaires and profitable corporations.  

Every Democrat in the legislature voted for the pension payment.  Every Republican in the legislature voted against it, even though Republican support for the payment schedule outlined in the pension and benefits law was unanimous.  

For Laurie, a pension means taking care of her disabled daughter & an elderly family member #fundnjpensionpic.twitter.com/HpJAiRpy2H

— CWA New Jersey (@CWA_NJ) June 22, 2015

 

Governor Christie stood squarely with the rich by vetoing tax increases on millionaires and corporations and using his line-item veto authority to eliminate $1.8 billion in pension payments required to make the full contribution. Any veto override would require 6 Republicans to vote with the Democrats in the Assembly and 3 Republicans to vote with the Democrats in the Senate.  There are currently no Republicans who have indicated a willingness to change their votes to support the pension payment.

Democrats also pushed a bill through the legislature that would require quarterly pension payments.  Since most governors make the pension payments on the last day of the fiscal year, the pension payment has historically been cut due to poor budgeting practices or a claim that the state is out of money because it has been funding other priorities.  Governors have then unilaterally cut pension payments.  This bill would have reduced the likelihood that pension payments get cut for those reasons.  Every Democrat in the legislature supported the bill, while every Republican voted against it.  It was met with an outright veto from the Governor.

The Legislature also passed a resolution calling on Christie to make the state’s FY2016 pension payment in July - the beginning of the fiscal year -instead of on the last day of the fiscal year.  Doing so would cost about $7 million in interest fees, but would add roughly $90 million more into the pension fund by allowing the money to earn interest over the course of the year. Governor Christie has not responded. 

 

App Pic of the Week: CWAers meet w/ @NJSenTurner to discuss budget w/ fully-funded state worker pensions. #1u#NJpic.twitter.com/KKdg8TPU3x

— CWA (@CWAUnion) June 24, 2015