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Welcome to the V.E.A. Home Page.
Subject: State Senate votes against your Pensions &
Benefits
Issue 27 February 22, 2010
36 Senators vote to reduce school employee Pensions & Benefits
Tell the State Assembly to Vote NO!
The State Senate voted today on
S-2<S-2>,
S-3<S-3>
and
S-4<S-4>,
a package of bills aimed at reducing public employee Pensions & Benefits.
With nearly no debate, all three bills were voted on and passed unanimously.
By now, you should be familiar with these bills, but if not, visit the
Pensions and Benefits section of our website<link>
to learn more about each bill. Here's a quick recap:
These bills will eliminate defined-benefit pension plans for future
part-time employees, change the pension calculation to reduce pension values
by at least 8.3% for future employees, require all active employees to
contribute 1.5% of their salary towards health benefits, require all new
members to contribute 1.5% of their pension towards health benefits when
they retire, eliminate health benefits for future part-time employees,
enable the state to change new members' pensions at any time, cap sick and
vacation leave accruements, and eliminate ordinary and accidental disability
for TPAF and PERS members.
WOW!
All in a day's work for your representatives in the State Senate! Well,
really, between what passed for a "hearing" in the Senate State Government
Committee last week, and today's brief consideration of these bills, a total
of three hours was spent discussing these dramatic changes to your Pensions
& Benefits!
With little or no deliberation, Senators Bateman, Beach, Beck, Bucco, Buono,
Cardinale, Ciesla, Codey, Connors, Cunningham, Doherty, Gill, Girgenti,
Gordon, Haines, Kean S, Kean T, Kyrillos, Lesniak, Madden, Norcross,
O'Toole, Oroho, Pennacchio, Ruiz, Sacco, Sarlo, Scutari, Singer, Smith,
Stack, Sweeney, Van Drew, Vitale, Weinberg and Whelan ran roughshod over the
rights of current and future NJEA members.
SO, WHAT NOW?
Call your representatives in the State Assembly and tell them to oppose
these bills! These three bills are expected to be introduced in the Assembly
as early as Thursday. Tell your representatives that legislation of this
magnitude demands a serious debate and an open dialogue with the people that
these bills affect. These bills must not be rushed through the Assembly as
they were in the Senate.
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<NJEA>
* 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 "Pen Ben reduction bills pass unanimously in State Senate" and
click "Take Action." Follow the instructions to find phone numbers and
talking points to call your legislators.
For those of you who live out-of-state, visit the NJ State Legislature
website<link>
to find the names and numbers of the legislators you would like to call.
TAKE ACTION TODAY - YOUR FUTURE DEPENDS ON IT!
Click here for information on important membership services.
All members should have received a copy of the latest Lamplighter. If you haven't, please see a building VEA representative.
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