The state Senate on Monday approved a bill allowing striking workers to collect unemployment benefits. Samantha Marcus, NJ.com Read more
Senate approves unemployment insurance for striking workers
Tag: unions
How Can NJ Rescue Underfunded Pension System?
State public-employee pension systems across the country are facing a combined $1 trillion in debt, and many states, including New Jersey, aren’t getting much help on the investment side these days thanks to stubbornly low interest rates. Medical breakthroughs are also testing the math of pension systems as retired workers are now living much longer. John Reitmeyer, NJSpotlight Read more
N.J.’s beleaguered pension system could get a boost under this new pitch
Just a few miles from the Democratic National Convention, party leaders — including Senate President Stephen Sweeney and one of the campaign’s early presidential candidates — put the big New Jersey problem of public employee pensions center stage. Samantha Marcus, NJ.com Read more
Readers say There is no room for your NJEA style tactics in our Village of Ridgewood
Picketing our BOE with red shirts and signs is a union thug tactic . There is no room for your NJEA style tactics in our Village. Tell the full-time NJEA lawyers, activists and lobbyists advising the REA that we have no room for their thug-like tactics in our beautiful Village. Take it back to Hudson County.
I think the term “thugs” was used referring to union tactics but our teachers are not behaving professionally. If you look at the faces in the middle picture above none of them look very happy. I’d say malcontent is an accurate description. If I made a face like that at my job, I’d be placed on a PIP for having a bad attitude! I believe the majority of Ridgewood residents support the BOE holding the line given that we already pay our teachers very generously. We live in a beautiful town and we value education but a lot of us are struggling to make ends meet and our property taxes are getting out of hand. We don’t speak openly because we do not want our children punished in the classroom for our opinions.
Reader says 1,100 applicants for Ridgewood BOE job openings in the past 12 months
1,100 applicants for Ridgewood BOE job openings in the past 12 months. Hopefully there are a lot more job openings once we get rid of the thugs pictured above. Can anyone name these people? The look on their faces tells it all: they are smug, self-entitled, and angry about $15 co-pays instead of the current $10… let’s fire the malcontents and replace them with educators who want to work with our kids.
These teachers and their benefits are out of control. Hold the line BOE. Thank goodness most of our volunteer BOE members don’t have kids in the schools anymore – the REA abused previous board members who did have kids with veiled threats and heaped abuse. The REA’s tactics are in BAD faith, and they are selfish. Support our students, support the BOE and support Ridgewood taxpayers.
The greedy teachers don’t $15 co-pays, they want to keep $10. And their platinum coverage covers up to 96% of medical expenses both in and out of network with full family coverage worth $28,000 a year in premiums…. NO ONE in the private sector gets a plan like that, only greedy public sector workers who think it’s their right.
Reader says Ridgewood Teacher’s Union supporters are blatantly misleading readers and twisting facts
You are blatantly misleading readers and twisting facts!!! Assuming you pay average Ridgewood property taxes of $16,000 a year, and assuming you are, in fact, a soon to retire teacher, then your $16,000 in property taxes helps cover the cost of Village contributions towards your lifetime defined benefit TPAF pension.
Assuming you are a Tier 1 member (enrolled in TPAF before July 2007), you can retire between age 55~60 you will receive full retirement benefits. To calculate how much your annual pension is worth, you divide your service time by 55, then multiple that by your average salary for the three years immediately preceding your retirement. So say 35 years divided by 55 = 63.6% of your average final salary $118,000 = $75,000 in taxpayer protected, defined benefit pension every year until you die which will be more than 25+ years if you retire at 60 and live to the average U.S. lifespan of 85 years. For this you contributed only 6.5% of your base salary but you get a defined benefit amount in retirement plan, i.e. you are insulated from any investment risk and benefit from taxpayer protected pension plan with an assumed annual rate of return of 7.95%. Yes the percentage contribution will gradually climb to 7.5% by 2018, but it’s still less than the 10% that PFRS members contribute and you take no investment risk like the rest of us with defined contribution IRAs or 401(k) plans. Those who enrolled in TPAF on June 28, 2011, or later are won’t be eligible until 65 for a pension, but that is for members who will retire in 35+ years from now, NOT you.
That $16,000 in property taxes also helps to subsidize your “Platinum” level health benefits, as defined by the ACA, which is an annual benefit of up to $28,000 a year depending on family member coverage. This plan covers up to 96% of eligible medial costs with $10 co-pays..TPAF members with at least 10 years of service time also receive a free group life insurance policy payable upon their death to their beneficiaries. You can also choose to purchase an additional group life policy that costs 0.4% of your paycheck. Not bad for $16,000 in property taxes, which is why it means you should be ASHAMED of your comment that “I am Ridgewood tax payer too and suffer just like you when the rates increase.” You don’t suffer, it’s in YOUR beneficial interest because you benefit from increased taxes which help pay for your retirement. Put in $16,000 a year in property taxes and get out over $105,000 in annual benefits. So please tell the whole story here or it truly is “shame on you.”
Ridgewood Board of Education ,REA Negotiations Update
July 22, 2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, For six hours on Wednesday evening, July 20, the Board of Education members and the Ridgewood Education Association (REA) Negotiating Team met with Tim Huntley, the state-appointed super conciliator. The contract remains unsettled.
At the meeting, the Board reviewed its three-year contract proposal and the district’s finances with the super conciliator. The Board’s proposal included:
· Salary increases over three years of 1.1%, 2.8% and 2.8%;
· For the highest paid teachers, payments to offset a portion of the cost of their health insurance premium contributions. These amounts would be $500 year one, $1,000 year two, and $1,500 year three;
· A change in the health insurance plan from NJ Direct 10 to NJ Direct 15. According to our estimates, the change in the health insurance plan, if it happened by January 1, 2017, would reduce the cost of premium for the district by $722,878 and for the REA members by $250,040.
Contrary to the REA’s statement that was released after the meeting, this proposal is not the same proposal offered to them in February.
The current proposal reflects our sincere attempt to compromise and address the contract requests from the REA.
The Board’s offer is structured to keep salaries above the county average and maintain our standing as having the highest salaries in the county for new teachers. The district’s great reputation and our competitive salaries continue to attract job applicants. That is why eleven hundred applicants applied for open teaching positions in the last twelve months.
The Board’s offer also speaks to the REA’s request for relief for the highest paid teachers contributing 35% of the cost of their health care premiums. The proposal of one-time yearly payments of $500, $1,000, and $1,500 would provide this requested relief from increased contributions.
The change to the health insurance plan would lower premium costs and give further relief to all REA members.
The REA Negotiating Team did not come to the table with a contract proposal on Wednesday night. There was no willingness to negotiate or compromise. Rather, the team told us that they would only accept the settlement recommended by the fact-finder as outlined in his May 15th report and again said that the district has the money to fund those recommendations.
The fact-finding report was made public and is posted on the district’s website at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us.
The fact-finder’s recommended settlement would cost the district $4.4 million over and above the state-mandated 2% cap during the life of the contract. For this reason, to fund that settlement and to balance the budget, the Board would have to make critical cuts to staff and programs that would severely diminish the quality of the instructional and extra-curricular programs for our students.
Cuts would include firing teachers, secretaries and administrators; reducing the number of athletic and co-curricular activities; and lowering the amount spent for custodial services, textbooks, professional development, and technology.
When by the end of the July 20th meeting settlement was not reached, the super conciliator set the date of September 6 for our next meeting. The full Board will be there. In the meantime, the Board is preparing documents to share with the REA verifying that breakage — the cost difference between the salary of retirees and salaries of new employees — is not available revenue to fund the settlement proposed by the fact-finder.
The REA has accused the Board of not caring about our students, the district, and the staff. These charges are false. In fact, the Board’s concern for our students and their educational well being is the reason why we did not originally accept the fact-finder’s recommendations and continue to maintain our position.
The BOE assures residents that , “as we look forward to the new school year and welcoming our teachers back to work on September 1, all of the terms and conditions of the expired contract continue. There has not been, nor will there be, any interruption or reduction in REA staff salaries or benefits. Stipends paid to those who are advisers to our clubs, sports and performing arts extra-curricular programs will also continue to be fully funded in accordance with the expired contract.”
Three Ridgewood Teachers Make the List of The States Highest Paid
July 19,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Schools had 3 teachers listed on the Department of Educations list of teachers in the $100,000 per year club.
The three Ridgewood teachers all make $116,173 annually. They are:
DEBELLA, MARGARET SCHAEFER
SCHAEFER, RICHARD MCNAMEE
MCNAMEE, HAROLD NELSON
SCHAEFER, RICHARD MCNAMEE
MCNAMEE, HAROLD NELSON
The Department of Education releases this annual list of teachers and their salaries. The list of educators making joining the $100,000 club has grown . Over a decade ago the list barely had any teachers on it now has grown to more than 5,000.That’s only a tiny fraction of the more than 90,000 people who teach in public and charter schools in this state. The highest earners come from all different schools and not just the so-called “wealthy” districts that routinely rank highly on national and state lists for best schools.
You’ll be shocked at how much political cash will flood into N.J. this year
Don’t be fooled by the idling heat of summer, New Jersey: A blizzard is coming. And it’s one that will bury the state in accumulating drifts of political campaign cash never seen before. Claude Brodesser-Akner, NJ.com Read more
Sarlo-Oroho: A Must to Save New Jersey’s Economy
The crisis facing New Jersey’s economy is severe and results from three continuing deteriorating conditions. The Transportation Trust Fund is broke, resulting in the suspension of projects needed to prevent the total deterioration of New Jersey’s road and bridge infrastructure. The income tax structure is a factor causing middle class senior citizen retirees to depart for the income tax-free state of Florida, thus diminishing New Jersey’s retail consumer base. Finally, the state’s high estate tax is causing the Garden State to hemorrhage wealth, as affluent taxpayers leave, eviscerating the state’s income tax base. Alan Steinberg, PolitickerNJ Read more
Readers say Ridgewood Teacher misbehavior in light of this contract dispute has gotten out of hand in terms of its spitefulness
Taxes are too high, why are we paying $102mn a year for schools that aren’t living up to their reputation? The teachers are a huge part of the problem here, and their “bad faith” negotiations are only making things worse. Why do they deserve better health care benefits, i.e. lower co-pays, than the taxpayers subsidizing their plans?
These teachers have lost so much credibility in our community through their actions/inactions, words, and greed. They’re riding the reputation of excellence despite not being excellent themslves – time for new educators who actually want to work with our students and help them.
This commentator is aware of a long-tenured RHS teacher in an important academic subject (won’t get any more specific than that) that was on full mail-it-in mode all year, for no good reason. Near the end of the year, it got even worse. The teacher’s students suffered needlessly, particularly grade-wise. Like, all of them. We need new blood. Teacher misbehavior in light of this contract dispute has gotten out of hand in terms of its spitefulness. Ridgewood residents and taxpayers should not allow themselves to forget this…
it’s even worse than that. The teachers recruit our own kids to fight their proxy war through indoctrination. I read a recent article in the paper about the various ‘Teachers of the Year’ nominated by students. One of Ridgewood’s teachers was complaining how anti-teacher it was in his school instead of being thankful for the nomination. He can always go to another district if he doesn’t like his six-figure 10 month job.
Ridgewood teacher talks set
BY STEVE JANOSKI
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
RIDGEWOOD — A state-appointed super conciliator will try this month to settle a labor dispute between the Board of Education and the district teachers’ union that’s left teachers working without a contract for more than a year.
There have been a number of disagreements throughout the 18 months of negotiations. But arguments over salaries, proposed changes to the union’s insurance plan and how much Ridgewood Education Association members must contribute to their health-insurance premiums have created deep rifts that two previous state mediators were unable to patch.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-teacher-talks-set-1.1628758
Transportation stalemate affecting long-term projects
As hundreds of large and small transportation projects grounded to a halt Friday due to the state’s inability to fix its depleted Transportation Trust Fund, several long-range projects with years of planning and studies behind them continue to languish. Associated Press Read more
TTF Work Stoppage Draws Criticism as Some Call for Compromise Bill
file photo by Boyd Loving
As negotiations over how to fund the Transportation Trust Fund with a gas tax continue to stall, Governor Chris Christie’s decision to halt all repairs and construction until lawmakers reach a consensus is drawing criticism from Democrats and advocacy groups. The state Assembly and Senate failed to reach a compromise between two bills at the end of June. JT Aregood, PolitickerNJ Read more
Reader say I like the idea of a referendum on the Ridgewood teachers contract
I like the idea of a referendum on the teachers contract, so long as it’s binding. We had great teachers and administrators who built up the reputation of Ridgewood schools. The current bunch? Meh. They seem to care more about their health benefits than our kids. If you witnessed their behavior this past school year you’d agree they’ve done nothing to carry on the “tradition of excellence”. More like “riding on the coat-tails of the reputation built by the predecessors.” They are trying to bully us with the backing of NJEA lawyers and lobbyists. We need to support our BOE and students, if only they elicited the same grassroots support that the we’ve seen opposing the most recent garage proposal and Valley!
