TRENTON — Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver said this afternoon she is not ready to move forward on a plan to reform pension and health benefits for public workers. "I continue to believe that we need health benefits reform to protect taxpayers, but I have maintained all along that there needed to be significant support in my caucus to move...
Gov. Chris Christie, right, and Senate president Steve Sweeney, have struck a deal on changes to public employees' health benefits and pensions. The assembly democrats had a caucus meeting today in which they discussed the plan but did not vote on whether to support it.TRENTON — Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver said this afternoon she is not ready to move forward on a plan to reform pension and health benefits for public workers.
"I continue to believe that we need health benefits reform to protect taxpayers, but I have maintained all along that there needed to be significant support in my caucus to move forward," Oliver said in a prepared statement.“ We are not there yet."
The statement comes after a contentious meeting in which many Assembly Democrats said they sided with the public unions' position that health benefits should be decided through collective bargaining rather than legislation.
“My caucus must have the chance to have their concerns considered. The voters who elected them deserve no less," Oliver said.
Assemblywoman Linda Stender (D-Union) said no decisions were made at the meeting.
“From the comments that were made, Democrats in the caucus support collective bargaining,” she said.
Stender said not all 47 members were present for the caucus and there were no votes taken.
“There was no call for a show of hands on anything today,” she said. “It was really just discussion only.”
Assemblyman Charles Mainor (D-Hudson), a Jersey City police detective, said members wanted to hear more details about how the plan would work.
“It’s nothing written in stone yet. Based on the information I’ve got right now, it’s still up in the air,” he said. “I’d say most are confused.”
Related coverage:
• Deal to change N.J. public workers' pensions, benefits is struck by Christie, Sweeney
• Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver stalls legislation dealing with changes in pensions, benefits
• N.J. Gov. Christie, public workers union fight over changes in employee health benefits
• Christie, unions spar over history of skipping collective bargaining to change health benefits
• League of Municipalities president calls on Legislature for pension, benefit reform
• N.J. Senate President Sweeney says costs of benefits are breaking local government budgets