TRENTON — Democratic leaders met with union officials this morning, and sources say the topic was overhauling health benefits. Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-Gloucester) and Assembly Speaker Shelia Oliver (D-Essex) met with the heads of the biggest public employee unions: Communication Workers of America, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers...
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House Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex) and Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-Gloucester) walk out of the Governor's Office.TRENTON — Democratic leaders met with union officials this morning, and sources say the topic was overhauling health benefits.
Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-Gloucester) and Assembly Speaker Shelia Oliver (D-Essex) met with the heads of the biggest public employee unions: Communication Workers of America, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers and the New Jersey Education Association.
Sweeney and Oliver declined to comment when exiting the meeting this morning.
Standing outside the meeting, Barbara Keshishian, president of the NJEA, declined to comment, saying the meeting was private. Leaders of the other unions have not responded to a request for comment, but three union and legislative sources said they discussed proposals by Gov. Chris Christie and Sweeney to change health benefits for state employees. The sources requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the meeting.
The governor is pushing for state workers to pay 30 percent of the cost of the premium. Currently, state employees pay 1.5 percent of their salary for health insurance.
Sweeney is pushing his own plan that would base contributions on both the cost of the premium and salary. Different from Christie’s proposal, Sweeney is recommending a sliding scale that would have low-income workers paying less than high-paid employees.
The Communications Workers of America, the state’s largest union, released its own plan, which would have workers pay a portion of the premium and a portion of their salary. The CWA plan would have most employees paying 14 percent of the cost of the premium.
The CWA, with the backing of several other unions, has argued that the health benefits should be subject to collective bargaining, presently taking place to hammer out a new contract when the current one expires on June 30.
Previous coverage:
• Christie estimates changes in employee benefits will save $870M a year
• Christie criticizes alternative proposal by N.J. public employee union on health care benefits
• N.J. Sen. Sweeney vows to keep pushing for higher heath care contributions from public workers
• N.J. Assembly Budget Committee members spar across aisle over pension, benefit issues at hearing
• 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