TRENTON — Leaders of the state’s largest state workers union say unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures. Facing a hostile governor, a bad economy, and the very real prospect of layoffs next year, the Communications Workers of America is asking its 40,000 state employee members to accept higher dues to pay for advertising campaigns that would push back against...
TRENTON — Leaders of the state’s largest state workers union say unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures.
Facing a hostile governor, a bad economy, and the very real prospect of layoffs next year, the Communications Workers of America is asking its 40,000 state employee members to accept higher dues to pay for advertising campaigns that would push back against Gov. Chris Christie and other critics.
“We’ve never really had this broad and direct an attack before,” said CWA Area Director Hetty Rosenstein. “We have in 30 years never raised our dues. We never had as great a need.”
Under the proposal, members would raise their dues one-tenth of one percent (to 1.25 percent of their salary) for a fund that would collect about $2 million a year for ads touting the importance of state workers.
The fund would be similar to one the New Jersey Education Association teachers union set up in the 1990s to tout public school teachers’ accomplishments. The union says its PRIDE in Public Education campaign highlighting public schools’ successes includes $5 million in advertising for the year.
“Our interests are ... to be able to educate elected officials and members of the public on what we really do, and to have the power to do that ourselves as opposed to relying on someone else’s definition or characterization of us,” Rosenstein said.
Both the CWA and the NJEA have been targets of the Repubican governor, who has signed pension reforms both unions opposed and has proposed privatizing as many as 2,000 state jobs, which would require layoffs next year.
The CWA last month started running a series of radio and cable TV ads targeting Christie’s proposed changes to civil service rules, which were paid for by funds from the national union and some locals.
Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak suggested the CWA take a different approach.
“Instead, maybe they should return to members the money wasted on negative attack ads,” he said. “How’s that campaign working out so far?”
Rosenstein conceded the proposal is not an easy sell to her union’s membership.
“I think every time you ask people to pay more money when they’re hurting, it’s difficult,” she said.
Members were originally supposed to vote by June 10, but after many complained about not getting ballots, union officials decided to start the voting process over. No new deadline has been announced. If union members agree to higher dues, the proposal would then face a vote on the floor of the CWA national convention.
Previous coverage:
• Record crowds flood Trenton to protest against N.J. Gov. Chris Christie, budget cuts
• State workers march across N.J. to protest Christie's budget cuts
• Complete coverage of the N.J. budget
| State workers protest pension bills and budget cuts |