Christie Calls For Elimination Of Vacation And Sick Time Payouts For Public Workers
Governor calls on the Legislature to take action during the remaining 30 days of session
Gov. Chris Christie urged the Legislature on Thursday to pass his plan to eliminate vacation and sick time payouts for retiring public employees.
Joined by Bergen County mayors at the armory in Teaneck, Christie said the payouts amount to a “a going-away present to public employees who had the great good fortune of not being sick.”
Mayor Dawn Zimmer as well as other Hudson County mayors—Jersey City Jerramiah Healy excluded—are in support of Christie on this topic.
Liabilities for unused sick and vacation day benefits total more than $825 million statewide, Christie said. Bergen County alone owes its 2,754 employees more than 470 years worth of unused time, and the county's budget puts the cost at $54.2 million.
“Every tax dollar that’s used to cash out unused sick and vacation days is a dollar that should be going to limit a tax increase and be sent right back to the taxpayer,” Christie said. "The only way to deal with property taxes is the lessen the amount we spend."
Christie called on the Legislature to take action during the remaining 30 days of the lame duck session. The Legislature has approved a $15,000 cap on the payouts and Democrats have proposed scaling it back to a $7,500 cap.
Christie, however, said the payouts must be scrapped altogether.
“These numbers have no bearing to anything that’s real,” he said. “They’re just picking out numbers as a gift to public employees for not being sick.”
He said the argument made by some opponents of the reform — that employees would start using sick days as time off — is without merit.
"I can’t believe that we’re not going to do a common sense reform because we say we can’t control fraud," he said.
State Sen. Loretta Weinberg, who sat in on the press conference, said Democrats have made attempts to work with Christie.
“As with most things the governor brings up, reality is often a little more complex than his rhetoric,” Weinberg said in a statement.
“We need to ensure that in our rush to reform the system, we do not push long-time workers to the exit. If we do, local governments will be faced with having to pay all of those retiring workers now, inadvertently putting themselves in an even more tenuous fiscal position," she said.
Christie called the reform a “common sense” measure and stressed the bipartisan support of 234 mayors across the state.
PeoplePlease
9:18 am on Friday, December 9, 2011
Unions are so 1919.
#bustcollectivebargaining
Here We Go!
12:49 pm on Friday, December 9, 2011
Spoken like a complete fool. I guess you are unemployed mineon of Wall Street.
Redrider765
1:42 pm on Friday, December 9, 2011
I do hope you are not a teacher.
HobokenTownie
1:56 pm on Monday, December 12, 2011
I assume you are one of the people on the Government payroll that believes he/she is entitled to a bonus check at the end of your employment. If you want a bonus, go into the private sector.
Anthony
1:55 pm on Friday, December 9, 2011
Christie is such a scumbag. Those workers earned their days and by contract are entited to compensation for them. You want to change that going forward, then you can do so in negotiations on your next labor contract(s).
So is Zimmer a democrate or a republican, I could swear she backed a Hudson County Democrat seat election slate. Why is she essentially always siding with scumbag Christie?
Redrider765
2:42 pm on Friday, December 9, 2011
Well we are also supposed to get a minimum level of basic services from all you people we compensate so highly and on that you folks have completely failed the taxpayers who pay your salaries. BTW, Zimmer is siding w/ Christie b/c she realizes that the taxpayers voted her into office, not the people who fleece the taxpayers and vote for scumbags like Mike Russo. She isn't stupid like Mason and won't be siding against the taxpayers just to patronize people who will never vote for her like Mason did.
greenhaven
2:56 pm on Friday, December 9, 2011
Hello Anthony. Remember when you emphatically stated your legal opinion that stealing and disseminating emails was not a crime. Would you like to comment on whether you still hold that position now that one person has been criminally charged with other charges likely coming?
Now that you know the law better, do you feel that people who commit federal crimes by stealing and disseminating confidential emails are "scumbags" or is that term limited to politicians you disagree with?
HobokenTownie
1:58 pm on Monday, December 12, 2011
They earned their paychecks and vacation time - NOT SICK DAYS - sick days are to be used if someone is ill. You speak like someone who receives a government check. If you want to earn more money, give up the civil service protection and try working in the private sector.
mcgato
5:31 pm on Friday, December 9, 2011
Zimmer and Christie appear to agree on two important issues. They are both fiscally conservative and they are both anti-corruption. The two actually go together because the corruption that permeates New Jersey in general, and Hoboken in particular, is siphoning a large amount of taxpayer dollars into the hands of the corrupt politicians and their corrupt partners.
I agree that sick days and vacations days shouldn't be banked for anyone. The only exception I would consider would be for classroom teachers, who could get paid extra at the end of the year for not taking vacation days.
prosbus
5:33 pm on Friday, December 9, 2011
No surprise Zimmer and Christie are on the same page, they are both Republicans.
Bob R
6:52 pm on Friday, December 9, 2011
Good evening, prosbus.
Speaking of Christie's page, are you aware that he used to be the U.S. Attorney? He spearheaded the investigation that led to the FBI arrests of 44 NJ pols, including Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammarano, who as you may recall enjoyed the enthusiastic support of one Lane Bajardi, who spoke in defense of his unilateral control of zoning appointments the night before he was arrested by the FBI for selling zoning variances at the Malibu Diner.
Rumor has it this Bajardi fellow may also have insight into some subsequent visits by the FBI to this wonderful little villa of ours.
Do you have any knowledge of this Bajardi fellows knowledge of recent visits by the FBI to Hoboken? Given that we're discussing the page former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie is on, and all, makes this question quite germane to the topic.
Thank you very much, prosbus! Have a wonderful, wonderful evening and a holly, jolly Christmas! And when the FBI finishes their latest job here, then to all a good night.
Thank you so very, very much, prosbus! Thank you for everything.
Khoboken
7:07 pm on Friday, December 9, 2011
Hi there my little elf. Do you have your easel with a grafix ready to avenge your position on the matter? We could all use another laugh at your expense.
Art
9:54 am on Monday, December 12, 2011
"Bergen County alone owes its 2,754 employees more than 470 years worth of unused time, and the county's budget puts the cost at $54.2 million."
Thats insane. I agree that you cannot re-negotiate benefits that have already been awarded but that needs to change going forward. These contracts, however, especially in places like Hoboken have not historically been arms length negotiations. When you have a mayor that was/is a fireman and council people that all have relatives in the unions it is not a real negotiation.
FAP
10:40 am on Monday, December 12, 2011
Art you can negotiate give backs. Sane organizations would likely trade away some unused sick time to reduce or eliminate layoffs or for healthcare considerations. However the Unions won't.
.
The Unions are run not for the young workers but for the guy who has been there forever and is coasting to retirement. The coasters know they can't be laid off, due to last in first out, and they've shown they won't give up a dime to save the young people coming in.