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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!

 

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To lobby in New Jersey on Abbott and funding cuts

Formal Letters and Phone calls are taken with more accountability than emails.  Click here to see tips for contacting your Congressperson.

 

• To lobby at the Federal level on E.S.E.A. funding and "No Child Left Behind"