New Jersey Unions March on Statehouse

[ProSense]

New Jersey Unions March on Statehouse

By Lisa Fleisher



TRENTON, N.J. — As the sky darkened and a drizzle turned into a downpour, thousands of unionized workers massed outside the New Jersey statehouse Friday to both support Wisconsin’s embattled public-sector workers and oppose Gov. Chris Christie’s agenda.

Signs disparaging Christie and supporting workers’ rights gave way to umbrellas as labor leaders from national, New Jersey and Wisconsin unions energized the crowd.

“Make no mistake about it, we are in the middle of a well-funded, well-orchestrated war on organized labor and public education,” said Barbara Keshishian, president of the New Jersey Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union.

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Christie wants to cut pensions and health-care benefits for public workers, though he says he supports vigorous collective bargaining. He tied several pieces of his proposed budget to cuts, saying he would make a required payment into the state’s retirement fund in 2011 if the pension changes were passed. The state faces a $54 billion pension hole, and past governors have consistently failed to fully fund the system.

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[TheCowsCameHome]

1. Was Tubby there, or off strutting his stuff?

He seems to be a hot item in GOP circles around the country.