Message to Legislators

To: NJ District 22 Representatives : Senator Scutari, Assemblywoman Stender, Assemblyman Green
Cc: Rep. Sheila Oliver, Rep. Stephen Sweeney

I urge you to stand in support of public employee representatives such as NJEA, CWA and AFT, who have called for support of collective bargaining rights for many of the issues that are coming up in the next few weeks regarding health care and pension benefits.

Many in the state legislature are intent on blaming a small segment of NJ’s population (500,000 public employees out of 8 million-plus residents) for the economic problems we all share. I ask you to allow for established collective bargaining agreements to stand and allow future collective bargaining to find balanced solutions:

In today’s Star Ledger, there were articles and op-ed columns that agreed on the quote of average teacher salaries and the proposed percentage increases.

If an average public employee paid as little as 15 % in taxes (for federal and state, assuming deductions) on the average 60,000 salary, they would be left with approximately 50,000 in take home pay… not a large salary at all! They are already paying 1.5%, or 900 per year for health benefits and the cost, under Sweeney’s proposals could double or triple. Lou Greenwald (D-Camden) states (according to the Star Ledger) that this bill is a major step in protecting New Jersey taxpayers. However, those making over $500,000 annually are still not participating in the solution to NJ’s budget woes, despite the fact that a recent Rutgers-Eagleton poll indicates that 72% of New Jerseyeans favor an increase in their tax contributions.

I am asking you as my representatives to stand strong against those who would weaken our democracy by proposing an end collective bargaining and further widen the gap between the haves and have-nots of our society.

Brenda Kay-Kucin
Scotch Plains