WyBlog

Can New Jersey copy Wisconsin's takedown of the public employee unions?

In Wisconsin the public employee unions and their Democratic Party toadies went all in, and lost. The State Supreme Court struck down a county judge's silly injunction yesterday, making Republican Governor Scott Walker's plan to curb the excesses of their gold-plated benefits packages the official law of the land.

Now the battle moves to New Jersey where Governor Chris Christie has struck a deal with State Senate President Steve Sweeney to raise pension and benefit contribution rates on a sliding scale. Even better, unlike in Wisconsin the plan does not exempt police and firefighters unions. That's great news because the benefits they currently enjoy aren't merely "Cadillac Plans," they're so lavish I'd call them Lamborghini Plans. And that's on top of a pay scale which is the highest in the nation.

Unfortunately the unions have a friend in State Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver. She remains committed to the status quo, working to water down the proposal by insisting on a 3 year sunset provision. That is, we'll curb benefits until 2014, but then it's off to the races again.

Yet even that "compromise", which Sweeney was eager to embrace, has the unions boiling mad.

They're gearing up for a fight. A big fight.

Public employees are planning a raucous protest in Trenton on Thursday (June 16), when the legislation will receive a public hearing. They are asking demonstrators to drive around the city at the speed limit — and not a mile more — to create traffic headaches and prevent lawmakers and staffers from getting to the Capitol.

OK, maybe not such a big fight considering that driving the speed limit is, you know, the law. But that "raucous" part worries me, seeing as how their buddies in Wisconsin effectively shut down the state capitol for weeks with sit-ins and protest marches. New Jersey union goons aren't exactly squeamish when it comes to brass-knuckles tactics so who knows what else they've got planned.

On the other hand the unions already played the raucous protest card last year and Gov. Christie was unmoved. He didn't back down then and I'm virtually certain he won't blink now either.

The unemployment rate remains above 9%. That's a whole lotta folks who'll have trouble mustering sympathy for a bunch of whiny bureaucrats demanding the right to keep picking our pockets. Save your breath guys, and remember that you're lucky you still have a job.

Posted at 10:33 by Chris Wysocki   [/nj_politics]   Comments | Perm Link |
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