TRENTON, N.J., June 16 — Thousands of state workers rallied at the state capitol against massive cutbacks in pensions, and increases in insurance contributions. The state is also making huge racist cuts in welfare programs for mainly black and Latino workers. Four Democratic members of the legislature, including Senate President Sweeney, added their votes to those of the Republicans to pass a deal made with New Jersey Governor Christie.
Christie announced the deal to a standing ovation of business executives last night. Under the bill, retirees would lose Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) for at least 30 years, the retirement age would go from 60 to 65, and pension contributions would go up by a third. Health insurance costs would double or triple, and unions won’t be able to renegotiate contributions for at least four years.
The best the union leaders could muster in response was “civil disobedience” by a few union leaders inside the hearing chamber, and complaints that state bosses are “trampling on our fundamental democratic rights.” Capitalism is a dictatorship of the bosses over the working class, not the other way around. The union leadership has no plan to reach out to and ally with private-sector workers, much less organize massive strikes to shut down the bosses’ government. Instead, they are relying on “friendly” Democrats in the Assembly to “kill the bill.”
PLP members and CHALLENGE readers attended the rally. A flyer was given out calling for unity between employed and unemployed workers against racist cutbacks in the state budget targeting unemployed workers. The flyer was received positively and several good conversations were had with our fellow workers. Here are some excerpts from the flyer:
“Last year at this time, thousands of workers were protesting state budget cuts. One of those, the General Assistance (GA) program was put back on the chopping block in late June, 2010. But, right after the restoration, the state welfare administration sent “review teams” into Essex County welfare offices servicing GA clients. Since then there has been a “slash and burn” approach to GA, directly coming from the review teams. The latest attack is the “discovery” by the state that hundreds of “employable” GA recipients are at the end of their time limit. These clients face termination of rental assistance, followed by eviction.
“The GA program is the last resort for tens of thousands of mostly black and Latino urban unemployed workers without children. Many long-term recipients have serious medical issues. Others have social problems which prevent them from getting jobs. But the real problem for those who are able to work is that there are no jobs, and there haven’t been any for some time. This results in systemic unemployment among black and Latino workers, double what it is among white workers. Because of this built-in disparity, we in PLP say unemployment is racist.
“Capitalism, an economic system based upon huge profits for bankers and bosses, actually needs unemployment. Unemployment helps keep wages down by providing a ready market of the unemployed willing to work for less. Passivity in the face of unemployment gives the bosses the flexibility they need to relocate their businesses when their profits aren’t high enough. Only a communist system would eliminate the need for unemployment since workers would produce in order to meet the needs of the whole working class, not for the profits of the bosses.”
Instead of sitting back while our most vulnerable brothers and sisters face the wrath of the budget-cutters, employed workers should unite with our natural allies — unemployed workers who occupy a position we may soon be in ourselves — to resist these cuts. N.J. PLP members and friends are beginning a campaign to fight the cuts and build the party in the process. Stay tuned!