Overwhelming Win for Union-Endorsed Candidates in NJ PERS Board Elections

New Jersey public workers came out strongly in favor of the union-backed candidates in the election to choose representatives on the Board of Trustees overseeing the Public Employee Retirement System (PERS).  Carey Brown, CWA 1037 Shop Steward, and Tracy Smith, an active member of AFSCME Local 3287, both won with more than 70% of the vote.

Ballots placed in the PERS Election were counted and announced on June 9. Carey Brown received 11,231 votes to 4,012 for State Worker Representative and Tracy Smith received 6,231 votes to 1,941 for County Worker Representative against management-backed candidates.

The win expands the current pro-worker majority, denying Governor Christie control of the Board.

In June, the PERS Board voted to join our lawsuit to sue Christie for his failure to make the legally-required pension payment. In April the Board voted to audit fees paid to Wall Street firms to manage the pension systems in light of recent evidence showing those fees have exploded since Chris Christie was elected governor. Under Governor Christie, NJ has paid over $1.5 billion in pension management fees to Wall Street firms.  

Congratulations to our very own Carey Brown, Tracy Smith, and the tens of thousands of public employees who voted to maintain a pro-worker majority on the PERS Board.