With contracts for 49,000 state workers due to expire in June, Christie has said he wants no pay raises and expects state workers to fork over much more for health and pension benefits
Governor Chris Christie delivers his State of the State address in the Assembly chamber of the Statehouse in this Jan. 11 file photo.TRENTON — When Gov. Chris Christie went to war with the teachers union last year, leaders of unions representing New Jersey state workers nervously watched in the wings.
Now it’s their turn to go toe-to-toe with the governor.
With contracts for 49,000 state workers due to expire this June, Christie has publicly proclaimed he wants no pay raises and expects state workers to fork over much more for health and pension benefits. Union leaders say they have had no meetings with the governor’s office and worry this doesn’t bode well for getting a deal before the current contracts are up.
"It’s going to be pretty ugly," said Jeff Keefe, a labor professor at Rutgers University. "I’m not sure we’re going to be well-served by what comes out of it. I wouldn’t be surprised if in September we’re still in negotiations."
At stake in this year’s talks are two of Christie’s signature issues: health and pension reform for state employees.
Christie has declared there will be no pay increases for state workers, recently making the commitment in an interview with Fox News. He also has made clear his expectations for cuts in employee benefits: increase pension contributions for all employees to 8.5 percent of salary, require state workers to pay 30 percent of their health care premiums, raise the retirement age, and eliminate cost of living adjustments for pension recipients.
"I think what the public employee unions can expect is a vigorous and direct negotiating process," Christie said in a recent interview.
David Cohen, head of employee relations, will negotiate for the governor’s office, Christie said. "If and when he needs me to come in from the bullpen to help, I’m prepared to do it," Christie said.
State workers union leaders who saw how the governor got into it last year with the teachers union — even though he had no direct control over their contracts — are reluctant to rile him before going to the bargaining table.
Hetty Rosenstein, the New Jersey director for the Communications Workers of America, which represents the lion’s share of state workers, said her office is approaching the negotiations with an open mind. Rosenstein emphasized the CWA doesn’t want a public battle or to negotiate in the press.
"We’re going to go to the table to bargain in good faith with proposals that we think are legitimate," Rosenstein said.
Union leaders say they were told no meetings would be scheduled until after the governor’s budget presentation, Feb. 22. In past contract negotiations, discussions have begun the fall before.
The governor’s office has gotten tough in negotiations with toll collectors who officially bargain with the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. The talks began in anticipation of a move by Christie’s office to privatize the operations and eliminate publicly funded collectors.
Franceline Ehret, head of the toll collectors union, said the talks have been unlike any in the 10 years she has headed the group. She said in the past, the Turnpike Authority was empowered to make decisions about contracts, but this year all decisions are being routed through Christie’s office. She said the administration wants $12 million to $14 million in concessions, not including health and pension benefits changes.
If the administration and the state workers unions can’t reach an agreement in June, the employees are barred from striking but could use tactics to slow work productivity. The governor, as employer, could initiate punishment if rules aren’t followed.
Christie could opt to keep benefits out of the collective bargaining process and instead change the health benefits and pensions through legislation. That’s an option he said he would consider. But the governor stressed his administration will bargain in good faith.
"This whole idea that I don’t care about the collective bargaining process is absolutely false," Christie said. "I think they’re going to enjoy working with me."
When the current contracts were set in 2007, then-Gov. Jon Corzine gained victories by getting all state employees to begin paying for health care and increase contributions to the pension system. The contracts, which angered a faction in the CWA, were largely forgotten by the public after Corzine was nearly killed in a car crash the day they were approved.
In an interview with The Star-Ledger, Corzine said conducting negotiations through the media and publicly listing all your demands can only undermine the process.
"There is not much to be gained in my view negotiating contracts in public forums," Corzine said. "You’re really trying to get people to move, and if you embarrass people they have a tendency to not move."