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BY STEVE ADUBATO
COMMENTARY
New Jersey Turnpike toll collectors are as Jersey as it gets. There is a great scene from the 1984 movie "The Pope of Greenwich Village" where two dysfunctional New York cousins, Paulie (Eric Roberts) and Charlie (Mickey Rourke), are driving down the Turnpike on their way to Monmouth Racetrack to place a bet on a "sure thing".
As they are on the Turnpike, Paulie gives the toll collector a tip, confident that he is about to win big. When Charlie asks him why he did that, Paulie says something about how miserable his job must be, standing in that tiny tollbooth all day. "I just made his day, Charlie." Well, fact is, tollbooth collectors currently make about $30 an hour, particularly those who are "more experienced" at their job.
But as tough as that job may be to sit or stand in such a tiny space for so many hours, there are over 850 Turnpike employees that wish they could turn back the clock to 1984. Why is that? Because there is a very serious proposal on the table to "privatize" toll collection on the Turnpike, which would in turn save tens of millions of dollars for the state of New Jersey.
A task force reported to Governor Chris Christie recently that a realistic estimate of annual savings by privatizing toll collection on the Turnpike would be between $35 million and $42.5 million a year. The catch is that in the request for proposals for a private company taking over toll collection calls for toll collectors to make $12 per hour — not $30 an hour. All this in an effort to ultimately move to some sort of automated collection of tolls where no actual employees are involved in taking money from us.
You know what is interesting here? This is a classic example of two legitimate but competing goals that run into each other and only one goal can survive. Think about it. Everyone says they want government to spend less money, to find ways to be more efficient, and to cut the number of government employees. You know, that whole thing about smaller government is best. All together that sounds fine, and people agree to it in theory.
But there is another competing goal, particularly in such difficult economic times, which is to keep as many people employed as possible — including Turnpike toll collectors. Toll collectors buy things like cars, houses, refrigerators, toys for their kids — you know, stuff you pay sales tax on. Toll collectors keep the economy moving. Fact is, anyone who is working is bound to spend more, which obviously helps the economy. So what happens if 850 toll collectors lose their jobs because there is a cheaper, more efficient way of collecting toll money from us? I understand that we need to do it because we need to cut the size of government. But if a 56-year-old guy loses his job as a toll collector and can't get a job for 18 months, 2 years or even more, how is that good for the economy?
You see, no one ever answers that question. Sure, we'll hear some things about the guy who loses his job having to "retrain himself". We will hear talk of new technology creating new employment opportunities. All that is fine, but it is a lot easier said than done. My point here is that not only are there no easy answers, but by trying to solve one problem (cutting the size of government), we actually create another problem (putting more people on the unemployment line), which in turn makes our economic problems even worse. I just wish we were more honest with ourselves about these competing agendas and what are often gray areas when it comes to public policy.
None of this stuff is black and white. It's just never any fun nor is it good politics to talk about "shades of gray" or conflicting goals. Did you ever notice that bumper stickers and slogans never really solve problems? They just seem to work at election time or for political pundits and columnists like me who have to come up with pithy one-liners and sound bytes in order to make good copy, or worse, good TV. This column doesn't fall into any of those categories because clearly what I am saying is that I'm not sure which way to go when it comes to this whole Turnpike toll collector issue. I get the need to reduce the cost of government and yes, getting rid of employees making $30 an hour who collect tolls from us seems to make sense when you are talking dollars and cents.
But at least I know that I don't want to see those people lose their jobs and never find another one because not only is that bad for them and their families, it is bad for the economy and the rest of us. Sometimes none of the choices we face are really good ones because no matter which way you go, there is always going to be fallout. Some innocent party is going to get hurt. This is one of those classic cases. However, if YOU think there is an easy answer here, write to me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Steve Adubato, Ph.D. is a commentator, lecturer and former state legislator. Dr. Adubato is also an Emmy Award-winning television anchor and syndicated columnist. He can be reached by fax at (973) 509-1659 or by clicking here.
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More here
AL
Toll money is going to stimulate the economy whether the toll collectors are employed or not, but paying less for toll collection is better for the economy.
If cutting costs on the toll roads (as in decreasing personnel costs) leads to lower tolls, then the motoring public get to keep more of their money to spend or invest as they wish. That stimulates the economy.
If cutting costs does not lead to lower tolls, that means that the road authority spends the money. That, too, stimulates the economy.
It's all cold, inescapable logic. My heart does go out to the displaced, but maintaining needless jobs or paying too much for unskilled labor hurts the public and the economy. It's an artificial imbalance.
1. stop believing the anti govt lies...in fact public service provides critical services for the PUBLIC! We saw what happened during the snow emergency... how many other areas are being so slashed that until people need them they won't know those services are no longer available?
2. As far as toll collectors, realize this...they do more than just collect tolls...tho that IS important. Many saved lives of heart attacks victims among other things...don't think you will get that sort or presence w/min wage workers. They won't care about YOU! Worrying about some collector who had a bad day is sort of like asking the police officer where his name tag is while he's chasing a criminal.
3. know the difference bettwen a citizens group & corp interest groups. I think I believe public servants for a few reasons... a.) they perform vital services b.) they are taxpayers c.) they are consumers d.) (most important) THEY HAVE A VESTED INTEREST IN WHERE THEY LIVE! Corporations & politicans (like christie) keep saying they feel no responsiblity to the nation or the people. Who would you rather see calling the shots? Someone who lives here & has that vested interest in where they live or people who have no vested interest in society other than lining THEIR pockets?
4. Lastly, I don't buy the christie arguement that he didn't create this mess. It's hypocritical given that he's been in cahoots w/whitman (who btw, stopped making payments to the pensions to begin with) and their so called "reform NJ". Talk about pay to play????? hmmm.... FIRE christie!
OMT...I don't agree that christie is this tough guy who came to turn trenton upside down...not when his own actions are suspect. I think more that he is trying to bamboozle people before they realize all THEIR protections were uprooted. I think YOU give HIM too much credit. Please stop that & be more objective in your reporting & NJ would be fine.
If you care about this nation you will report more on the corp. bloodletting going on in our state, nation & the world. Look at Egypt... There is a scripture in the NT book of Revelations that says this..."and the nations have drank from the cup of Babylon...and the nations are mad." Violence happens when people needs are ignored. God also says "My people perish from a lack of knowledge"... shutting down schools is all wrong. That is what christie is doing to our public schools. If you want to save our state stop ignoring the lack of jobs, education & all the good things govt. does FOR people that keep us civilized & safe. Start by closing the corp. loopholes that outsource our jobs & stop the wealthiest from paying the taxes THEY OWE!
(2) If the Turnpike hires a private company and saves millions of dollars, it's going to be spent somewhere. It's not going to go to wealthy shareholders. Maybe more people would be hired to maintain the road, or maybe some construction project would get built that couldn't have been built before. That would mean the creation of construction jobs or maintenance jobs or engineering jobs or computer jobs or accounting jobs. Your economic argument is a non-starter. This is ultimately not a debate about whether the money will be spent on cars, houses and toys for the kids; it's just a question of who will be doing the spending.
(3) What bubble do you live in? You write in seeming bafflement about "some sort of automated collection of tolls where no actual employees are involved in taking money from us." That system is called E-ZPass. It has been in place in New Jersey for more than a decade. Three quarters of the people who drive the Turnpike already use it. E-ZPass has eliminated more toll collector jobs from the economy than out-sourcing these positions will.
The NJDOC is putting forth that cutbacks must be forthcoming from the education departments inside the prisons because of financial difficulties. That is simply not the truth. There is wasteful spending inside the NJDOC, but it certainly is not coming from overspending on prison education! The truth is that the NJDOC wants to outsource the prison education system to a private company ,similar to what occurred with CMS and the medical departments years ago. Any reputable financial authority would laugh at the idea that the way to reduce costs in a billion dollar business (NJDOC) would be to " go after" an area of the business ( education ) that only gets budgeted a mere $12 million( 2%). None of this is about cost savings , it is about privatization.
WE ALL KNOW WHERE THE WASTEFUL SPENDING IS OCCURING INSIDE THE DEPARTMENT!
WE ALL KNOW ABOUT THE TENS OF MILLIONS ALONE SPENT ON OVERTIME COSTS THAT DWARF THE EDUCATION BUDGET!
Yet you are led to believe that your small piece of the NJDOC, education, is causing a budget crisis.
Correctional educators provide the only positive service inside the prison system. Correctional educators are the "frontline" in the battle against high recidivism rates. It is true that our primary job is to educate adult and under 21 inmates with the goal of providing them an alternative to a continued life of crime, but we also help with prison management. Despite the fact that we get no credit for doing so, research has shown that inmates are less likely to engage in disruptive and violent incidents when they are actively engaged in a education program instead of being idle. Importantly this can result in improved safety for ALL employees. We alone supervise thousands of inmates each day.
There are some studies that suggest that offering educational services to inmates inside the prison system actually generates NET savings. Inmate education programs are among the most cost-effective correctional strategies for reducing recidivism. A recent Washington State Institute for Public Policy analysis concluded that successful education programs can generate $2 to $3 or more in savings for every dollar invested to implement them.
SO WHAT REALLY IS HAPPENING?
Education staffing is being reduced, not by coincidence, but with a purpose in mind, and that purpose is privatization. We are already at a 15 year low in staffing. The mandates of the Inmate Reentry Laws passed last January call for a 5-year plan to be implemented that should be increasing education programming. However, the laws mandates for the first year have been largely ignored. Even the formation of a Prisoner Reentry Commission, which was mandated to return their recommendations by January 18,2011,to the Governor and the Legislature, has been ignored. The Commission apparently has never even met!
So the privatization plan is simple.
Implement a totally illogical and unworkable 10 month plan that will reduce teacher salaries by 16% by shutting down all prison education for the months of July and August. This would make the NJDOC the ONLY Correctional system in the country that operates for only 10 months.
Run programming into the ground as inmates lose interest in this disjointed system.
Moth ball state of the art vocational and academic teaching areas at South Woods ,that had cost the taxpayers millions to build, in an effort to prove a " lack of interest".
Follow the new Inmate reentry law by then "offering" and signing up inmates for academic and vocational classes.
Let them know they are on lists that are backed up for months in addition to having no school during July and August.
Create a " crisis" due to a lack of needed educational services that the Inmate Reentry laws demand.
Have an " epiphany of concern" which will lead to the " need" to hire an outside company to handle the huge backlog.
Wild Speculation? Conjecture?
Unfortunately not.
As of last Friday the NJDOC was working towards implementing a Title change for every teacher in the Department. The change would be from Teacher 1 /12 months at a Pay Scale of 24 to Teacher 1 /10 months at a Pay Scale of 21. You would leave your job on June 30 and begin again on September 1. This would be similar to a 40 day furlough! The grand total savings to the Department? Maybe $1.9 million. In a $1.1 BILLION budget ,$1.9 million represents les that one half of one percent of the NJDOC budget!
"Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage." -- Dale Carnegie
COMMITTEE FOR PRIVATIZATION HONESTY