 On a very hot and humid day, approximately ten thousand state and local government employees rallied in Trenton on June 19 in front of the State House Annex in support of Governor Jon Corzine’s proposed budget, in particular, its $1.1 billion contribution to State pension plans. As a single engine plane circulated overhead trailing a banner urging support of the Governor’s budget, diverse union leaders and State legislators from both parties proclaimed the importance of retirement security and the sanctity of the collective bargaining process. The theme throughout the rally was a deal is a deal!
 Rally speakers who responded to calls by a few Democratic State legislators for state employee unions to accept a 15% cut in their salaries and benefits mid-term in their contracts, emphasized that since previous administrations in Trenton starved the pension fund for 10 years, it should not be the workers who should pay the price.
Governor Corzine addressed the crowd and thanked the public employee unions for their support. He also pledged to honor state employee contracts and restated his opposition to any mid-contract employee givebacks. He closed by insisting that he would not back down from his proposal to fund the pension system.
 Council affiliate Locals and Rutgers AAUP/AFT also turned out in a show of solidarity. Recognizing that the budget does not do justice to higher education, AFT members and staff from Council and Rutgers AAUP distributed thousands of flyers calling for the restoration of funding. Rutgers AAUP/AFT President Lisa Klein also raised this issue from the platform as the final speaker. She reiterated to rally goers that higher education locals were facing layoffs, attempts to re-open collective bargaining agreements and wage freezes. She also reminded the crowd that cuts to higher education would drive up tuition even higher than have past increases and that the State must find a secure funding source to guarantee that higher education is permanently removed from the chopping block.
 Among the many other unions represented at the rally were Communications Workers of America (CWA), American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Locals 194 and 195 of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), various Firefighter locals and the New Jersey Education Association. NJ AFL-CIO President Charlie Wowkanech, in addition to hosting the rally and introducing all the speakers, encouraged the crowd to keep up the pressure by contacting their legislators. A final budget must be approved by June 30 or a State shutdown can be expected.
For more rally photos click here.
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COUNCIL LOCALS JOIN IN MASSIVE PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RALLY IN TRENTON SUPPORTING GOVERNOR CORZINE'S BUDGET