TOMORROW: CWA Pickets State-Wide

Protesting Christie Scheme To Open Civil Service to Patronage & Nepotism With Nearly No Public Input

(NEW JERSEY) – Tomorrow, members of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) will be protesting Governor Chris Christie’s scheme to change Civil Service as we know it. Christie’s proposal erodes protections for workers by eliminating the current system of merit-based promotions. This plan essentially abolishes objective and transparent measures for promotions and replaces them with politically-motivated "advancement.” This is the most radical change to Civil Service in half-a-century, yet the first time requests for public hearings have been flatly denied.

At workplace pickets throughout the state, CWA members will be speaking out against Christie’s plot to “broad band” titles - which would hurt hundreds of thousands of workers, as well as expose every single New Jerseyan to higher taxes due to corruption, cronyism, and patronage. Christie’s proposal will eliminate most competitive promotions and open the door to a flood of favoritism, nepotism and discrimination. The plan is a wholesale attack on New Jersey’s working families, women, the disabled and people of color. Moreover, it will entirely eliminate veterans’ preference in hiring and promotions.

“This latest Christie scheme to gut Civil Service will create more patronage and corruption at all levels by putting every single advancement at the mercy of political pressure,” said Hetty Rosenstein, CWA NJ State Director. “We’re holding pickets in municipalities throughout New Jersey to highlight how both state and local government will be harmed. This proposal unfairly rigs the rules so those who buy influence or enjoy special connections can get ahead…while disabled workers, LGBT workers, women, workers of color, older worker, and veterans will all have a major barrier to discrimination destroyed and the public will be harmed.”

CWA Protests will be at the following locations: Noon-1 p.m.


Trenton Area:
Department of Labor, 1 John Fitch Parkway
Civil Service Commission, 44 South Clinton Street
Department of Banking and Insurance, corner of Warren and West State
Department of Environmental Protection, 401 E State St
Department of Health and Agriculture, 369 S. Warren St.

Central Jersey:
342 Westminster Ave, Elizabeth
181 Howe Lane, New Brunswick
200 West 2nd Street, Plainfield

North Jersey:
650 Bloomfield Ave, Bloomfield
125 State Street, Hackensack
50-58 Burnett Ave, Maplewood
124 &153 Halsey Street, Newark
100 Hamilton Plaza, Patterson

South Jersey:
101 Haddon Ave, Camden NJ
215 Crown Point Rd, Thorofare, NJ
1601 Atlantic Ave, Atlantic City


Even though New Jersey’s Constitution requires public jobs be awarded through a competitive testing process wherever possible, the Civil Service Commission is seeking to bypass these mandated requirements by "broad banding" titles. They’re aiming to place dozens - and possibly hundreds - of titles into “job bands” where management would be allowed to unilaterally “advance” favored workers through the band rather than requiring competitive examination. This would eliminate objective and transparent measures – such as lists of promotion-eligible workers, public postings of who was awarded the position. Since veterans preference is tied to promotions, it eliminates veterans preference in the 90% of cases where there will no longer be promotions.

The Christie Administration held a single public hearing in Trenton on the proposal at 3pm on April 10th - a workday. To say that the hearing was scheduled at an inconvenient time would be an understatement, as even several legislators had difficulty attending. It was virtually impossible for workers opposed to Christie’s proposal to have their voices heard. Those people directly affected deserve a true public process and an opportunity to have their concerns addressed their concerns.Christie has denied requests for more hearings at times and locations when working people all over the state can have a chance to be heard. So, CWA has launched a petition for supporters to call on the CSC to schedule additional public hearings locations, dates and times. The petition can be viewed and signed at www.cwanj.org.

The Communications Workers of America (AFL-CIO) represents both private sector and public workers. CWA represents more than 70,000 working families in New Jersey, including over 40,000 state workers, 15,000 county and municipal workers, and thousands of workers in the telecommunications, airlines, health care and direct care industries. It represents thousands of public workers both in Civil Service jurisdictions and those that have not adopted Civil Service.

FRACKING WASTE BAN PASSES THE STATE ASSEMBLY, SENATE VOTES ON MONDAY

by guest blogger Linda Baum

If you’ve been following the progress of bills A575/S253, which ban the treatment, storage, disposal and discharge of fracking waste in New Jersey, you may have heard that just last week the State Assembly passed the fracking waste ban by a huge margin – the vote was 56 yes and 19 no, with 4 not voting. 

Thanks to all of you who called or emailed your legislators to ask them to support the bill.  I’m told that the number of calls and emails from residents in legislative district 13 – Middletown and surrounding parts of Monmouth County – outnumbered those from other districts by 2 to 1.  So kudos to you all.

Supporters of the bill are hoping for a strong showing in the State Senate as well.  The Senate vote is scheduled for this Monday, 6/25.  

So if you haven’t already, please call or send an email to your State Senator asking him or her to pass the fracking waste ban.  You can find senators' names and phone numbers by town here:  http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/districts/municipalities.asp.  The following link can be used to generate an email:    http://bit.ly/PassNJFrackWasteBan

Thank you for your activism.

Trenton Rally this Thursday, June 14th to keep fracking waste out of NJ

by Linda Baum & Food and Water Watch

The state legislature introduced a bill (A575/S253) to ban fracking waste in New Jersey and we need the Senate & Assembly Environment Committees to pass it.  Environmental advocacy group Food and Water Watch is asking everyone to attend a Day of Action for A Clean Energy Future this Thursday, June 14^th in Trenton from 9AM-3PM.  Learn more and register at:  http://bit.ly/JvIgaE

A number of transportation options are available to help folks get there and back safely.  If you would like to carpool from a nearby location, you can do a zip code search for carpool options at http://bit.ly/June14TrentonCarPools.  Another option is to ride the Bus for Progress, which is picking up passengers in South Amboy, Red Bank, Wall, and Jackson.  Reserve your seat here:  http://action.foodandwaterwatch.org/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=74395

The meet-up point in Trenton is at the Old Barracks, and registration there is from 8:30-9:00 AM.  Click here for directions, a schedule for the day, parking info, and a rough floor plan of the State House Annex that shows where the Assembly Environment Committee is meeting.

If you can’t make it on Thursday, Food and Water Watch asks that you make a quick phone call to Assembly Speaker Oliver, asking her to make sure this legislation passes.  Individual calls make a big difference in the push to get this legislation passed, so please call even if you’ve already contacted legislators on this issue.

Call Assembly Speaker Oliver at (866) 582-4813.  Tell her: 

• I support a ban on fracking waste in NJ;
• This type of drilling is putting drinking water at risk of serious contamination;
• Please cosponsor A575, the bill to ban fracking waste in New Jersey.

Thank you for your activism.

Congressman Frank Pallone Introduces Bill Bringing Sports Betting to New Jersey

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 20, 2012
Contacts: Ray Zaccaro (202) 225-4671

Trenton, N.J. – On Monday January 23, 2012, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr.(NJ-06) will stand with NJ State Senators Raymond Lesniak (NJ-20) and Jim Whelan (NJ-02) at the New Jersey State House to announce legislation he is introducing that will open sports betting to New Jersey. The bill will exclude New Jersey from the federal prohibition on professional and amateur sports gambling.

In November, 2011 New Jersey voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure amending the state constitution to authorize the Legislature to enact laws allowing sports wagering in New Jersey. On Wednesday, Gov. Chris Christie signed a bill allowing people over the age of 21 to place a bet on a sporting event in-person at special lounges created in casinos, racetracks or at the site of a former racetrack

"The existing federal law is unconstitutional and arbitrary, giving four states access to this billion-dollar industry, while shutting out the rest," said Pallone. "The citizens of New Jersey have made it clear they want the opportunity to share in the profits from professional sports betting. This legislation will help even the playing field and uphold our state's wishes on what is clearly a state issue."

Senator Lesniak said, "We appreciate Congressman Pallone's effort to get Congress to give New Jersey what our residents overwhelmingly want, the same ability to place bets on sporting events that it has given to the residents of Nevada and to boost revenues and jobs at our casinos and racetracks."

SENATOR BUONO’S STATEMENT ON GOVERNOR’S POCKET VETOES

TRENTON – Senator Barbara Buono (D-Middlesex) released the following statement regarding the Governor’s pocket veto of S-668 and S-3072. S-668 would have provided New Jersey residents who save for their children’s college education through a state-administered college savings plan with a state income tax deduction for their investments. S-3072 would have promoted the establishment of partnerships between institutions of higher education and the business community to increase collaborative research and innovation:

“In these tough economic times , when middle-class families are constantly worried about how they will put food on the table let alone how they will pay for their children’s education, it is indefensible that the Governor has vetoed legislation that would have provided incentives to parents to save for their children’s college education as well as legislation that would have strengthened educational opportunities for the state’s college students, so that they may gain invaluable skills to find good, well-paying jobs.

“By providing families with a tax deduction of up to $10,000 for putting money into their children’s NJ BEST account, S-668 would have encouraged parents to save for their children’s futures. The Governor’s short-sightedness could cost New Jersey’s children and their parents the ability to pay the increasing costs of college, making our future workforce much less prepared for a global economy.

“During Governor Christie’s State of the State address, he touted the need to provide a competitive environment where businesses would choose New Jersey over other states to grow and expand their businesses and to create jobs. His actions speak louder than his words. By pocket vetoing S-3072, he has ignored an opportunity for businesses to partner with academic institutions, such as New Jersey’s colleges and universities, to drive innovation in the state. Not only would this program have helped New Jersey’s students develop skills to prepare them for careers in high-demand sectors, it would also have strengthened our workforce, making the Garden State a more attractive place to start and grow a business.

“As we move into this new legislative session, I hope that Governor Christie puts aside partisan politics, and supports legislation that would truly benefit New Jersey’s children, middle- and working-class families and businesses looking to create jobs that are actually in demand and increase economic security.”

Heard It In The Hallways....

Last week when an anonymous poster left a tidbit of information in the comments section for the post "Middletown Tax Assessor To Receive $15K "Bonus" Under New Salary Ordinance", referring to Middletown Township Administrator Tony Mercantante being offered a job in Trenton by the Christie Administration, I found it hard to believe. I didn’t think it was plausible that the guy would leave a nice cushy position in Middletown making over $125,000 a year, to take a less stable, patronage job that wouldn’t pay him anywhere near what he is currently being paid. But I kept it in the back of my mind and started to ask around. What I was told surprised me, but after it was explained I could understand it.

The person that I talked with did not want their name mentioned, but as a Township employee they can be found very often around Town Hall. This person told me that Tony Mercantante was indeed offered a job down in Trenton, somewhere within the State Planning Office and he will be leaving Middletown for his new gig sometime in May.

When I questioned the person why Mercantante would leave Middletown, they explained it thusly:

The late Judy Stanley, who was often referred to as the Queen of Middletown, was very fond of Mercantante and acted as a mentor to him for many years. She was instrumental in Mercantante’s rise through the system. It was Stanley that brought Mercantante back to Middletown as a planner after a few years absence working out of state and it was her idea to promote him from his Township planning job to his current position as Township Administrator, when Bob Czech left that position in order to become Monmouth County Administrator a few years back.

Once Judy Stanley placed Tony Mercantante into the position as the Township Administrator, it became evident to some that he was in over his head. They thought that he had a problem with telling the truth, as in, being to honest when some one asked a question, while others thought that he was (is) a bungler who causes more problems than what he solves.

Allegedly, 3 out of the 5 currently sitting Township Committee people can’t stand him and have been making it extremely uncomfortable for Mercantante to do his job. As a result, it’s often hard to get a straight answer out of him. And on top of it all, Mercantante has to deal with a Township Attorney who has a Napoleon Complex and who also happens to be the #2 Republican in Middletown, Brian Nelson, on almost every decision, every day (that alone would be enough for me to seek out new employment).

So, as a result of all this, I was told that the powers that be, seeing that things have not been working out to their liking for sometime now, have worked out a face-saving arrangement for Tony Mercantante to leave his position as Township Administrator, for a job with the Christie Administration in Trenton.

If this turns out to be true, and I have no doubt about the person who passed along this information, than I want to wish Tony Mercantante well in his new position down in Trenton. I’ve personally never had a problem with him he has always been personable with me on the few occasions that we have talked. He probably deserves better than what he is getting, I always thought that he was on top of things, but then again since when have I thought anything that meant a damn to those that run Middletown anyway.

Good luck Tony, your going to need it now more than ever.