As reported by app.com, the nearly month-long standoff in the Wisconsin Legislature over explosive union rights legislation rocketed toward a dramatic finish after Senate Republicans outmaneuvered their missing Democratic counterparts and pushed through the bill.

The extraordinary turn of events late Wednesday, March 9, 2011, set up a perfunctory vote Thursday morning in …

As reported by app.com, State Senate President Stephen Sweeney said he will push for a law aimed at moving the State’s 566 municipalities into shared-service agreements. Sweeney said he would introduce the legislation this week.

The bill is expected to revive the Local Unit Alignment, Reorganization and Consolidation Commission (“LUARC”), created some four years …

As reported by nj.com, days before the governor’s office and the state’s largest public employees union are scheduled to sit down for the first time, lawmakers are receiving letters warning of dire results that could come from changing employee benefits through law.

A letter, cosigned by 48 labor attorneys, claims that if lawmakers …

As reported by trentonian.com, New Jersey’s state government unions are up against more than a combative Governor Chris Christie going into contract negotiations. They are up against numbers regarding their salary, which were recently released and could complicate their efforts to rally public opinion to their side.

More than 17,000 union represented state …

As reported by nj.com, leaders of police and firefighter unions slammed Governor Chris Christie at a rally outside the Statehouse on March 3, 2011. 

Bill Lavin, president of the New Jersey Firefighter’s Mutual Benevolent Association, said Christie loves police and firefighters, but hates the unions because “he hates your voice.” Lavin said the …

As reported by trentonian.com, the leader of the state Senate says pension and health care benefits for public safety workers cost an average of $47,000 a year, an ever-increasing amount that will bankrupt local governments unless workers start paying more. Senate President Stephen Sweeney released the figures from the Municipal Managers Association, on the eve of a public safety rally that could draw up to 10,000 off duty police and firefighters to the Statehouse to protest staffing cuts and proposed benefit changes.

Sweeney, a Democrat, has been called out by public safety union leaders who vehemently oppose his proposed health care changes, which are similar to what Republican Governor Chris Christie has proposed. Sweeney and Christie insist they are attempting to keep the pension and health benefits systems solvent, not hurt workers.

The public unions say Christie is breaking a promise not to tinker with their retirement benefits and the most powerful Democrat in the Legislature is going along. The pension and health benefits systems are significantly underfunded. The pension funds for police and firefighters, teachers, judges and state, county, and municipal workers are underfunded by $54 billion. The health care system is underfunded by $67 billion.

Public sector workers now pay 1.5 percent of their salaries toward healthcare. They pay varying percentages of their salaries toward pensions: judges pay 3 percent, teachers put in 5.5 percent, state police 7.5 percent and police and firefighters 8.5 percent.

Sweeney’s proposal would expand the number of available health insurance plans, and it calls for workers to contribute 12 percent to 30 percent of the cost of the premium, depending on their income. The plan would be phased in over seven years for families and four years for single-coverage employees. Those making up to $30,000 a year would be expected to pay up to 12 percent of their premiums at full phase-in, while those making $100,000 or more would be required to contribute 30 percent. Sweeney’s plan shields retirees, but would require future retirees to contribute a fixed amount each year, between $2,280 and $5,700, based on pension level.

Christie wants benefits changes that make the health insurance system more like the private sector or the federal government, with employees paying about one-third of the costs of whatever benefits plan they choose and the government picking up the other two-thirds. Automatic cost-of-living increases would be eliminated.Continue Reading Sweeney: Benefits Are Breaking Budget

As reported by nj.com, leaders of New Jersey’s public workers unions said they will launch a full court press against a bill sponsored by Senate President Stephen Sweeney that would force public employees to pay more for their health care benefits. The unions have called the bill an attempt to throw out collective …

As reported by nj.com, more than 40 city firefighters and police officers rallied around City Hall this morning in Camden, demanding Mayor Dana Reed bring back some of the laid off public safety employees that were let go earlier this year. Nearly half the police force and one-third of firefighters were laid off …

As reported by nj.com, more than 20,000 police officers, firefighters, teachers, and other public employees put in their retirement papers last year as momentum was building for sweeping health and pension reform in Trenton, state figures show. That is a 60 percent jump from 2009 retirements and the highest in at least a decade, …