At competing news conferences 30 minutes apart, Christie will propose sweeping public employment changes while Democrats make 'major announcement' on state budget
N.J. Gov. Chris Christie, left, is expected to unveil sweeping public employment reforms today at a noon news conference just 30 minutes after a scheduled 'major announcement' on the state budget by N.J. Democratic leaders Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver, center, and Senate President Stephen Sweeney, right.
TRENTON -- New Jersey Democratic leaders have scheduled an 11:30 a.m. news conference today for "a major announcement on the proposed state budget" on the same day Gov. Chris Christie is expected to unveil sweeping changes for public employment, including a 2.5 percent cap on annual raises.
The Star-Ledger obtained an administrative briefing of Christie's 33-bill legislative package, which could allow towns to discard civil service rules for employee hiring and firing. Christie is expected to unveil the proposal at noon.
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Details for the Democrats' budget announcement today were not provided. The meeting will be led by Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) and Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex).
Sweeney has said that while he supports civil service reform, the proposals detailed in Christie's administrative briefing go to far.
"We’re going to work with him," Sweeney said last week. "It’s not necessarily going to be exactly what he says."
The legislation Christie is expected to introduce today includes:
• A constitutional 2.5 percent cap on the annual increases in municipal, school and county property tax levies. The only exceptions would be for debt service payments, or if local residents vote to override the cap.
• A 2.5 percent limit on the annual increases of employee contracts — including wages, health benefits, vacation time and other perks — for all local workers including police, firefighters and teachers. That would include contract awards made through the binding arbitration process for police and firefighters. School boards also could invoke a "last, best offer" if negotiations with a local teachers union reached an impasse.
• Allowing towns to opt-out of the civil service system through an ordinance or a petition by 15 percent of the voters. Civil service protections — including "bumping," when newer employees lose their jobs before their more senior colleagues — also would not apply to furloughed employees or those laid off because of shared services agreements.
• Limiting the amount of unused sick leave that current employees can cash out at $15,000, and only allowing them to carry over unused vacation time for one year. That mirrors changes Christie signed in March for future hires, although current workers who have already accumulated more than $15,000 could still keep it.
• Making union leaders on an extended leave of absence from their normal job duties, as well as employees of advocacy groups like the state League of Municipalities and New Jersey School Boards Association, ineligible to enroll in the state pension system.
• Moving school board elections from April to November.
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