By Samantha Marcus, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
TRENTON — The state Assembly took its final step Monday toward placing a referendum on the fall ballot asking voters to commit to spending billions of dollars to repair the public worker pension system.
With the governor cut out of the ballot question process, it is now up to the Democratic-controlled Senate to see the referendum onto this fall’s general election ballot.…
Read MoreBy Patricia Alex, Staff Writer, The Record
A coalition at Rutgers is pushing for a rollback of 2.5 percent when the governing board sets tuition and fees next month for the 2016-17 school year.
It’s a quixotic quest to be sure, as even calls for a freeze were unsuccessful in recent years, when increases ranged between 2 and 3 percent.…
Read MoreBy Elana Knopp
UNION COUNTY, NJ — Delegates to the 102nd annual meeting of the American Association of University Professors voted in Washington, D.C. last week to place Union County College on its list of institutions sanctioned for violating AAUP-supported standards of academic government.
Association investigations said it revealed serious departures by the administration and governing board from generally accepted standards of college and university government endorsed by the Association.…
Read MoreState AFL-CIO Cites ‘Union Solidarity’ and Advocacy
ATLANTIC CITY … Based on her support for other unions in addition to her commitment to building the American Federation of Teachers New Jersey (AFTNJ), the New Jersey State AFL-CIO selected AFTNJ president Donna M. Chiera as ‘Labor Person of the Year.’
“This recognition is made possible by the collective efforts of the leaders and activists in our statewide federation representing 30,000 education workers,” said Chiera.…
Read MoreBy Susan Loyer
PERTH AMBOY – It was lights out at Thursday night’s Board of Education meeting.
Parents, along with Mayor Wilda Diaz, gathered with school educators at the meeting in hopes of calling on the Board of Education to bargain a fair contract with the union representing the district’s staff.
But that all came to an abrupt halt when power to the high school, where the meeting was held, went out.…
Read MorePower suddenly went out during a meeting between the school board and teachers arguing for better health benefits
Nearly 100 teachers, union members, and even parents gathered at Perth Amboy High School on Thursday night to protest the lack of a new contract with better health benefits for teachers.
The meeting was being held as part of an effort to come to a resolution with the Board of Education after arguments.…
Read MoreParents, Mayor Diaz Join Community Push to Break Impasse
PERTH AMBOY… Parents and the mayor are joining Perth Amboy educators in calling on the Board of Education to bargain a fair contract with the union representing the district’s staff. Educators have been working without a contract for a year, according to Perth Amboy Federation-AFT union president Patricia Paradiso, a third-grade teacher.…
Read MoreBy Samantha Marcus | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
TRENTON â With two major government worker pension court battles concluded, the next front in public workers’ fight for retirement benefits is a ballot question considering a constitutional amendment forcing the state to make annual contributions in the pension system.
[…]The Legislature approved the ballot question last year and must pass it again this year with a simple majority in order to qualify for the fall election.…
Read MoreBy The Auditor, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
The Auditor always loves a good fact-check, so when Gov. Chris Christie took aim at 2017 candidate for governor Phil Murphy over pensions, it was clear that merriment would soon abound.
Addressing the Morris County Chamber of Commerce on Monday, the governor disparaged Murphy as “another multimillionaire Goldman-Sachs executive,” and, in a clear reference to defeated Democratic Gov.…
Read MoreBy Samantha Marcus, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
TRENTON — More than 70 percent of New Jerseyans say they would vote in favor of a constitutional amendment this fall forcing the state to contribute to the public pension fund, but far fewer support that amendment if it jeopardizes funding for schools, roads or safety net programs, according to a new poll.…
Read MoreBy S.P. Sullivan, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
TRENTON — Kean University’s administration grappled for years with infighting and bad behavior within its police force, including racially and sexually charged pranks, alleged abuse of overtime and other wrongdoing, court records and documents obtained by NJ Advance Media show.
Kean officials say they took “prompt and remedial action” after a 2010 internal review revealed “long-term examples of unprofessional and sophomoric behavior” within the taxpayer-funded department.…
Read MoreThere are troubling parallels between Trump and Icahn, who used his charity to turn a profit while enjoying massive tax savings.
By George Joseph, AlterNet
Most people know Carl Icahn as a real-life Gordon Gekko—the investor who helped drive Trans World Airlines to bankruptcy, selling the company’s prime routes and saddling it with debt, while pocketing millions for himself.…
Read MoreA charter member of the local who became active in many union activities, Helen Pirrello has achieved many successes with the union and in the legislative arena. …
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