Pension and benefit vote
scheduled for Monday - Act Now!
Issue 26 February 18, 2010 Bad pension and
benefit bills fly through committee
Full Senate vote scheduled for Monday, February 22 A
package of four bills was introduced last week, and
heard in the Senate State Government Committee today.
These bills will reduce public employee pensions &
benefits, while doing nothing to alleviate any of the
current problems with our under-funded pension system.
The five members of the State Government Committee
voted unanimously to release these bills from
committee, allowing them to be put to a full vote in the
Senate on Monday, February 22. In over two and a half
hours of testimony, including remarks from NJEA
President Barbara Keshishian, NJREA President Ro
Jankowski, and several of your peers and colleagues,
the committee did not ask a single question of those
testifying.
Clearly, your legislators don’t know what questions
to ask! With the vote on these bills coming up on
Monday, we need you to call your Senator and
explain to them the impact these bills will have on
thousands of working families in New Jersey. In
addition, with these bills being likely to pass in
Monday’s Senate vote, we need you to call your
representatives in the Assembly and let them know
what is in these bills! Here’s what you need to know
about this package of legislation:
S-2 <http://msg2svc.net/cnwib/225539/53/31431/546/0/S/sasj.pdf>
– The Pension Bill – would eliminate
defined-benefit pension plans for future part-time
employees, and change the formula used to calculate
pensions to reduce pension values by at least 8.3% for
future employees.
>>Learn more
<http://msg2svc.net/cnwib/225539/54/31431/547/0/S/sasj.html>
S-3 <http://msg2svc.net/cnwib/225539/55/31431/548/0/S/sasj.pdf>
– The Health Benefits Bill – would require all
active employees to contribute 1.5% of their salary
towards benefits, all new members to contribute
1.5% of their pension when they retire, and
eliminate benefits for future part-time employees.
>>Learn more
<http://msg2svc.net/cnwib/225539/54/31431/547/0/S/sasj.html>
S-4 <http://msg2svc.net/cnwib/225539/56/31431/549/0/S/sasj.pdf>
– The Leave Time Bill – would cap sick leave
compensation at a maximum of $15,000 and limit
vacation leave carry-over to one year for future
employees. S-4 also replaces ordinary and
accidental disability under TPAF and PERS with purchased
private disability insurance.
>>Learn more
<http://msg2svc.net/cnwib/225539/54/31431/547/0/S/sasj.html>
SCR-1
<http://msg2svc.net/cnwib/225539/48/31431/550/0/S/sasj.pdf>
– The Constitutional Amendment – would mandate
under-funding the pension system for the next eight
years, by allowing to State to contribute only 1/7th of
its full contribution each year until it reaches 100%.
>>Learn more
<http://msg2svc.net/cnwib/225539/54/31431/547/0/S/sasj.html>
NJEA MEMBERS NEED TO ACT NOW
<http://msg2svc.net/cnwib/225539/49/31431/551/0/S/sasj.html>
TO EDUCATE LEGISLATORS ON THE IMPACT OF THESE BILLS
We make this easy for you in the “members only” section
of NJEA’s website.
If this is your first time, here’s how it works:
-
Go to
njea.org
<http://msg2svc.net/cnwib/225539/50/31431/552/0/S/sasj.html>
-
Log in by
entering your PIN (it’s on your membership card) and
your password (it’s the last four digits of your
Social Security number).
-
Click
“Legislative” on the left-hand side, and then
“Cyberlobbying” on the drop down menu below it.
Look for “Pension and benefit bills fly through
committee” and click “Take Action.” Follow the
instructions to find phone numbers and talking points to
call your legislators.
TAKE ACTION TODAY - YOUR FUTURE DEPENDS ON IT!
180 West State Street
Trenton, NJ 08607-1211
(609)599-4561
www.njea.org
<http://msg2svc.net/cnwib/225539/50/31431/552/0/S/sasj.html>
Please do not reply to
this e-mail. To contact NJEA, go to njea.org
<http://msg2svc.net/cnwib/225539/51/31431/553/0/S/sasj.html>
and click on About NJEA/Contact NJEA. Follow this link
<http://msg2svc.net/cnwib/225539/52/31431/554/0/S/sasj.html>
to unsubscribe or manage your NJEA e-mail settings.
