TRENTON — A group of unions representing higher education employees today endorsed an alternative plan to Gov. Chris Christie's proposal to overhaul the state employee health care system. Christie wants to make state employees pay 30 percent of their health care costs, an increase from the current system which requires employees to pay 1.5 percent of their salary. The...
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Gov. Chris Christie wants state employees to pay for 30 percent of their health care premiums. Unions have proposed an alternate plan, which would take into account an employees salary and the cost of their premium in determining how much they pay for health insuranceTRENTON — A group of unions representing higher education employees today endorsed an alternative plan to Gov. Chris Christie's proposal to overhaul the state employee health care system.
Christie wants to make state employees pay 30 percent of their health care costs, an increase from the current system which requires employees to pay 1.5 percent of their salary.
The Communication Workers of America proposed an alternate plan, which would take into account an employees salary and the cost of their premium in determining how much they pay for health insurance. The CWA plan would have employees pay an average of 14 percent of the premium cost and save $200 million in tax dollars by 2013.
In a news release today, the Council of New Jersey State College Locals and the Rutgers Council of AAUP Chapters, which together represent 15,000 employees, endorsed the CWA plan. The unions represent professional staff, faculty and librarians.
“Our members know we have to be part of the solution to fixing New Jersey’s economic situation. That is why faculty and staff at New Jersey’s nine state colleges and universities are prepared to bargain for the significant changes in healthcare benefits proposed by CWA,” Nicholas Yovnello, president of the Council of State College Locals, said in a statement.
The CWA presented their plan to the administration as part of the collective bargaining process currently underway between the union and the administration. Their contract expires on June 30.
But Christie is refusing to negotiate over employee health benefits, and instead intends to have his proposed changes enacted via legislation.
Previous coverage:
• N.J. Assembly Budget Committee members spar across aisle over pension, benefit issues at hearin
• Star-Ledger guest column: Gov. Chris Christie, it’s time to negotiate
• N.J. union workers offer to pay more than 20 percent of health benefits
• Christie refuses to negotiate health care cost increase with N.J. public unions
• Christie challenges Democrats on making N.J. workers pay more for health benefits
• Gov. Christie talks unions, national fitness on 'Face the Nation'
• N.J. unions vow to fight Sweeney's bill boosting workers' payments for benefits