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BY TOM HESTER SR.
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
Governor Jon Corzine Thursday announced an agreement with the Communications Workers of America that he said will save the financially-strapped state government millions of dollars in labor costs.
The deal with the CWA, the state's largest public employees' labor union, includes a wage freeze and 10 unpaid furlough days for state workers that the governor said will result in additional wage cost savings. The agreement, which avoids layoffs for state workers, was finalized earlier after weeks of bargaining between the governor's aides and union representatives.
If extended to the remaining state employee unions, including colleges and authorities, the governor's aides said, the contract change would save the state between $300 million and $400 million in the current and next fiscal years. It will delay a scheduled July 1 raise for 18 months and require all state employees to take 10 unpaid furlough days before June 30, 2010. The agreement includes a pledge to avoid layoffs through Dec. 31, 2010, and places a moratorium on a recently adopted civil service rule on furloughs pending further study.
"I am pleased we have reached an agreement with CWA that achieves the personnel cost savings necessary to balance our budget," Corzine said.
The agreement was reached at the midway point of the existing contract. "The agreement averts layoffs in this time of a deep national economic crisis and allows the state to continue to provide with minimal disruption the vital public services the people of New Jersey depend on," Corzine said. "We appreciate the effort undertaken by the CWA leadership to reach this agreement as part of our continuing effort to secure savings in the face of this unprecedented budget crisis."
The agreement was strongly criticized by Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce (R-Morris) who charged it will not provide long-term savings.
"Once again Governor Corzine has let state worker unions dictate the terms while middle class taxpayers continue to suffer," DeCroce said. "This deal, which contains job protection for state workers beyond the governor's current term, is a boon for the public worker unions who fund election efforts of Governor Corzine and his Democratic allies.''
An agreement was tentatively reached Tuesday in time to head off picketing by state employees at the Codey Arena in West Orange where Vice President Joseph Biden appeared as a show of support for Corzine as he won the Democratic primary to seek a second term as governor.
The agreement also calls for the state to create a paid leave bank where workers accrue up to a total of seven leave days during the period of the unpaid furloughs. The days are predicated on furlough days taken and cannot be used until after July 1, 2010. The agreement also allows furlough days and future paid leave days to be scheduled with management so that services to the public are maintained and overtime and other costs avoided.
The agreement also follows an arbitration award involving the state corrections officers union, which provides for a wage freeze in fiscal year 2010.
"At the outset of this budget crisis, I said we needed to achieve personnel cost savings through wage freezes and furloughs without putting at risk services to our citizens," Corzine said. "We have achieved that goal."
DeCroce disagrees.
"The pact, announced today, will defer a raise for state workers by 18 months, which will be made up in January 2011, and impose ten furlough days - seven of which could be recouped through new bankable personal days after fiscal year 2010. If any worker is laid off before 2011, all state workers would get the 3.5 percent raise slated to be deferred next month.
"Trailing in the polls, Governor Corzine has made it virtually impossible for another governor to successfully cut the state's workforce to lower costs for taxpayers.,"
Now Workers get Christy and more pain for the little people from the big fat man