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Vineland Education Association
727 Elmer Street
Vineland, N.J. 08360
856-696-9200
 

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URGENT LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

 

In the last two days, a number of New Jersey legislators have mounted a significant assault on public employees’ pensions and benefits.  While a number of proposals were introduced in the Senate on Thursday, there are three which are of particular concern to NJEA and its members.  They are:

 

·         S-1962:  A requirement proposed by Sens. Barbara Buono (D-18) and Thomas Kean Jr. (R-21) that school employees work a minimum of 30 hours per week to qualify for participation in the Public Employees Retirement Fund (PERS) or the Teachers’ Pension and Annuity Fund (TPAF).  Under the legislation, future school district employees who work fewer than 30 hours per week would be placed in the New Jersey’s newly established 401(k)-style defined contribution pension plan.  This bill would significantly impact education support professionals such as cafeteria workers, bus drivers, paraprofessionals, and others, including some teachers.   Additionally, current members working fewer than the minimum number of hours who have any break in service may lose their eligibility to participate in PERS or TPAF upon their return to service.  Members who are excluded from PERS or TPAF also would not earn years of service credit in order to qualify for post-retirement medical benefits. 

 

·         S-1969: A requirement proposed by Sens. Barbara Buono (D-18) and Christopher Bateman (D-16) that members who hold multiple positions choose only one job for pension purposes.  This would severely diminish the pensions of members who hold two or more part-time jobs to make ends meet rather than one full-time position.

 

·         S-1964: A change in the pension formula proposed by Sens. Stephen Sweeney (D-3) and Kevin J. O’Toole (R-40) for future employees to use the average of an employee’s five highest years of earnings when calculating individual pensions.  Currently the formula uses the three highest years.  Under the new formula, the pensions of FUTURE employees would be lower than they would be under the current formula. 

 

An additional bill (S-1965), proposed by Sens. Nicholas P. Scutari (D-22) and Joseph Kyrillos, Jr. (R-13), which denies health insurance benefits to part time employees excludes school district employees.  NJEA will continue to monitor that legislation closely.

 

Each of the proposed bills would diminish benefits that NJEA members have fought to obtain and enhance since the first pension system was established for teachers more than a century ago.  While legislators claim that they must take action to deal with abuse of the pension system, the “solutions” they have crafted threaten to harm our hard-working members instead.

 

NJEA is strongly opposed to these changes and is devoting significant resources to fighting this legislation.  We are preparing a media and lobbying blitz to target the lawmakers behind this legislation and to make our case that the Legislature needs to “Target Abuse, Not People Who Work.”

 

We are urging members to come to Trenton on Thursday, June 12 for a Lobby Day and public demonstration at the State Capitol.    Please make plans to attend if you are able.  Contact Iris Star (istar@njea.org or 609-599-4561, ext. 2249) to RSVP and get more details. 

 

We need to send a strong message that we will not allow lawmakers to make us the scapegoats for the state’s budget crisis.  Members will lobby legislators and picket outside the Statehouse to make our voices heard.  Although this is a difficult time of year for our members to attend an event in Trenton, these bills threaten a significant negative impact on our membership for years to come and would open the door to further erosion of pensions and medical benefits for all members.

 

Thank you for all that you do for public education and for public school employees.  I look forward to seeing you in Trenton on Thursday.

 

 

Ginny O'Donnell

Executive Assistant to Joyce Powell

NJEA President

609-599-4561 ext. 2295

609-278-0688 fax

vodonnell@njea.org


 


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.

Assemblyman Nelson T. Albano

 

(Democrat - NJ 1st Legislative District)

Assemblyman Matthew Milam

 

(Democrat - NJ 1st Legislative District)

Contact Information:

 

Web Site

 

District Offices:

21 North Main Street, Cape May Court House, NJ 08210  (609)-465-0700


223 East Main Street, Millville, NJ 08332  (856)-293-8353


1028 East Landis Avenue, Vineland, NJ 08360  (856)-696-7109

Contact Information:

 

Web Site

 

District Offices:

21 North Main Street, Cape May Court House, NJ 08210  (609)-465-0700


223 East Main Street, Millville, NJ 08332  (856)-293-8353


1028 East Landis Avenue, Vineland, NJ 08360  (856)-696-7109

 

State Senator Jeff Van Drew

 

(Democrat - NJ)

Governor Jon Corzine

 

(1st Term Democrat)

Contact Information:

 

Web Site

 

District Offices:

21 North Main Street, Cape May Court House, NJ 08210  (609)-465-0700


223 East Main Street, Millville, NJ 08332  (856)-293-8353


1028 East Landis Avenue, Vineland, NJ 08360  (856)-696-7109

Contact Information:

 

125 W. State Street

PO Box 001

Trenton, NJ 08625

 

Phone:  (609) 292-6000

Fax:  (609) 292-3454

 

Web Site:  www.state.nj.us/governor/

E-mail:  www.state.nj.us/governor/govmail.html

Rep. Frank A. LoBiondo

 

(Republican-NJ)

Senator Frank Lautenberg

 

(Democrat-NJ)

 

Contact Information:

 

Washington Office:

The Honorable Frank A. LoBiondo
225
Cannon
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-6572

 

Main District Office:

5914 Main Street
Mays Landing, New Jersey 08330
1 (800) 471-4450 or (609) 625-5008 (phone), 
(
609) 625-5071 (fax)

 

Web Site:  www.house.gov/lobiondo

E-mail:  lobiondo@mail.house.gov

 

Contact Information:

 

Washington Office:

324 Hart Senate Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20510-3003

Phone:  (202) 224-3224

Fax:  (202) 228-4054

 

Main District Office:

One Gateway Center, 1st Floor

Newark, NJ 07102

Phone:  (973) 639-8700

 

Web Site:  http://lautenberg.senate.gov

E-mail:  (by webform) http://lautenberg.senate.gov/webform.html

 

Senator Robert Menendez

 

(Democrat-NJ)

 

Contact Information:

 

Washington Office:

502 Hart Senate Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20510-3004

Phone:  (202) 224-4744

Fax:  (202) 228-2197

 

Main District Office:

 

Web Site:  http://menendez.senate.gov/

E-mail:  (by webform)