Law’s expiration may renew battle over benefits
February 2,2016
PLEASANTVILLE, N.J. (AP) — A state law requiring public employees to pay a percentage of their health benefit premiums expired last year, setting the stage for a battle over benefits between school boards and teachers unions.
At issue is whether school boards will be able to maintain those payments during contract negotiations or whether the unions will have the clout to roll them back, The Press of Atlantic City reported ().
At stake are millions of dollars that ultimately would be passed on to local taxpayers. Statewide, school districts budgeted almost $4 billion for all employee benefits for the 2015-16 school year.
That represents almost 18 percent of all state aid and local taxes spent on education.
Steve Baker, director of communications for the New Jersey Education Association, wrote in an email that they expect many local unions will make the payment an important part of their negotiations.
“Different locals will pursue different strategies, but I think you should expect to see that issue raised in nearly all negotiations once the sunset is reached,” Baker said.
The New Jersey School Boards Association is advising members to expect that request. In a November memo, NJSBA manager of labor relations Patrick Duncan noted that in the last year prior to the law, only 13 percent of contracts analyzed by the NJSBA required any employee contribution.
https://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2016/01/31/laws-expiration-may-renew-battle-over_ap.html
Employee contribution is a must in this day and age where the middle class is struggling.If teachers do not like it then get a cheaper plan. The days of riding the so called gravy train are over, welcome to reality.
Time to get teachers to buy their own healthcare on ACA exchanges. Why are taxpayers still paying for teachers’ health benefits? Teachers supported Obamacare, but now they want us to subsidize so called “Platinum” coverage for free without making any contributions themselves? How is that fair to taxpayers?
This is the exact reason the REA refuses to sign a new contract with the Ridgewood BOE – they want taxpayers to pay for their free healthcare
ohh more money.
LOL. They want money for new textbooks and the latest technology until they find out it eats into any money for a potential raise. God I Love that 2% Cap.
7:25pm Ridgewood Taxpayer – I don’t love that cap. The schools have assumed that they have the right to increase the budget every year by 2%. They can’t manage any year with 1% or 0% or -1%.
So true 8:55, if they cap was 1% they would spend 1%, if it was 10% they would spend 10%… hopefully Vince and the BOE don’t roll here and accept unreasonable, bad faith REA demands. Village taxpayers should not be subsidizing free health benefit plans for teachers. All current teachers should also be contributing to defined contribution-type 403(b) retirement savings plans instead of their current minimal contributions to defined benefit plans.