September
October 2014                                                                                        Editor - Barry Chalofsky
In This Issue
Contribute to PSMA PAC
Give Us Your Contact Info
Special Notice
IBEW Update
Legislative Update
Public Employee Health Costs
Health Benefits Reform
Board Meeting Notes
Retired Managers' Network
IBEW Organizes X,Y, V & W

 Member Discounts

  

PSMA Member Discounts  


The Board of Directors is committed to providing members with greater benefits and discounts.  Just click on the button above or the same button at www.psmanj.org to bring you the latest benefits and discounts including:

 

Carriage House Spa & Salon

TheComfortOutlet.com

Regal Cinema

United Artists

AMC Theaters

Edwards Theatres

 

We will be adding more discounts over the coming months.

 

Reminder:  We have discount tickets for Regal, United Artists, AMC and Edwards Theaters!!

CONTRIBUTE TO THE PSMA PAC  

money3

In order for an organization to be effective it has to have a well-funded Political Action Committee (PAC).  PSMA is not allowed to use dues to give donations to candidates and political parties.  All monies used for that purpose come from a separate PSMA PAC which gets its funding directly from contributions by members.  In the past the PSMA PAC made some very critical donations to legislators who ended up supporting us in our quest for union legislation, and those that continue to fight for public employees. 

This effort requires a small contribution from everyone.  Please consider donating $2.00 or more per paycheck to the PSMA PAC.  You can get a special PAC dues deduction card by e-mailing
[email protected], or directly from your payroll clerk.  You can also send a donation to:

PSMA PAC
212 West State Street
Trenton, NJ 08608
We Need Your Contact Info

In order to serve you better PSMA is asking that you update your contact information with your personal e-mail address.  Just go to our website at www.psmanj.org and fill out the interactive form. 
Board of Directors & Staff 

Stan Cach, President (DEP)
Biff Lowry, 1st Vice President (DEP)
Tonya Coston, 2nd Vice President (DOE)
Fred Gmitter, Secretary (LPS)
Michael Simone (LPS)
Vince Mastrocola (DOE)
Phillip Freeman, Sr.(AG)
Alfred Laubsch, Jr.(DOL)
Paula Howard (DOH) 
Barry Chalofsky (Ret.)

Phil Frigero (Ret.) 


Lisa Ginther, Executive Director

Mike Larkin (Ret.), Financial Officer
Barry Chalofsky (Ret.), Webmaster/Newsletter Editor

 

PSMA Website
 
 
 If you have questions about PSMA please send an email to:
 

Lawyers
Important Information Regarding Managers' Weingarten Rights


Money

New Member $100 Bonus    

 

 

Earn $100 for every new member that you refer that enrolls in PSMA.

1. New member must complete a payroll dues deduction card and submit it to their payroll office.

2. The new member must also complete a PSMA membership application (available from www.psmanj.org ) and mail the application to the PSMA at 212 West State Street, Trenton, NJ 08608.  The membership application must list the name of the PSMA sponsoring member in order to be eligible for the $100.00 recruitment rebate.

3. The Executive Director will issue the rebate to the sponsor upon receipt of payroll deduction verification and the completed membership application with the sponsor's name. 

Special Notice Regarding PSMA Dues  

 

REMINDER 

 

November 21, 1014  

 

Dear PSMA Member:

 

On November 3, 2014 we sent a Special Notice Regarding PSMA Dues to you.  As we indicated in that notice, to our dismay and surprise, the State altered the dues deduction process for certain PSMA members without notice. As a result, the PSMA dues deductions for all IBEW eligible members were terminated as of Pay Period 21.

 

We want to thank those who have already paid their dues! 

 

Why Did the State Take This Action?

 

The dues deduction box that was used by PSMA for 12 years was supposed to be assigned to a union. Since managers did not have a union they allowed us to use the box.  Once the system was changed to enable the raises for managers, the State reassigned the box to the IBEW even though IBEW is not presently charging dues. 

 

Why Does PSMA Need the Dues if I Will Be Represented by IBEW?

 

Until IBEW starts to charge dues, which will not be for a couple of months, PSMA is the principal source of funds to get the union established.  While some of these monies will be reimbursed to PSMA in the future, our dues are critical to both the long term commitments of PSMA, and the interim commitments of IBEW. 

 

What Happens When IBEW Charges Dues?

 

PSMA and IBEW are working closely to ensure the long-term viability of PSMA.  We anticipate establishing a more formal relationship in the near future and that effort includes addressing the dues to PSMA by IBEW members.  We ask for your patience until we finalize our plans.  We also ask that you hold off terminating membership in PSMA if you are concerned about paying dues to both organizations.

 

Why Do I Need to Join IBEW and Fill Out Dues Deduction if I'm Already a Member of PSMA?

 

While IBEW and PSMA work closely together, they are two different organizations.  IBEW will be the formal representative of many managers going forward and you need to join IBEW as a separate action.  The State will only show respect for IBEW if we can show that we have the membership support of the eligible managers.  This is not the time to sit on the fence!  Please sign the IBEW application and dues deduction card ASAP.

 

As you know, PSMA is the organization that fought to get managers union representation by initiating the partnership with IBEW and providing the resources over the last four years to achieve the first labor contract ever for managers in NJ State government.

 

PSMA Needs Your Help.  

 

Please help sustain this organization by contributing your regular dues amount for pay periods 21 - 26 for a total of $78.00. At this time, we are asking that you contribute your membership through the last pay period of 2014.  

 

We sent electronic invoices via PayPal to the affected members on November 6, 2014, to allow payment by Pay Pal or credit card. While many members showed their loyalty and support by paying this invoice or mailing in a check, some of you did not submit payment.  If you did not receive the invoice please check your Spam folder or contact us at [email protected].   

 

Please ignore this notice if you paid.  Also some people may have received a duplicate Invoice - please disregard the second Invoice. 

 

If you do not wish to pay electronically you can send a check to:

 

PSMA

212 West State Street

Trenton, NJ 08608.

 

If PSMA is successful in persuading the State to reinstate your automatic payroll dues, any amount that you have applied to the same pay period will be refunded to you by PSMA. Please note: This invoice is for PSMA dues only and is not related to membership in IBEW, or the recent mailing that you may have received from IBEW.

 

If you have any questions please contact PSMA at [email protected]

 

As always, thank you for your support and loyalty.

 

Sincerely, 

 

PSMA Board of Directors

 

Message From IBEW Local 30 Executive Board

Salary Increases Continue!

  

The series of salary adjustments and increases is continuing on schedule.  So far there have not been any significant issues. The following is a schedule provided by the State:   

    

1. October 10, 2014 - retro payment for individuals placed on step.

2. November 7, 2014 - 1% increase is implemented

3. November 28, 2014 - check date for retro payment for 1% across the board

4. November 28, 2014 - check date for lump sum payment for individuals above step 10 or above the cap

5. December 5, 2014 - 1.75% increase is implemented

6. December 26, 2014 - check date for retro payment for 1.75% increase

7. December 26, 2014 - lump sum payment for individuals above step 10 or above the cap

  

We know there are some managers whose status and raises are still being worked on, just as there are certain managers who will only be receiving lump-sum raises in fairly short order.


Since 1985 managers have been treated like "second class citizens."

Most managers make less than their subordinates, and have seen their pay shrink to due rising healthcare costs. With the creation of IBEW Local 30, for the first time in the history of State government, we now have a contract that begins to right those wrongs.  

 

But there is still work to be done!

 

In order to guarantee that we have equity and fairness going forward -

We Need You to join IBEW Local 30 as a full member.

  

Why?

  • While we secured significant raises for most managers, we did not accomplish the goal of full equity in pay with our subordinates - this is the Number 1 Goal of the next contract!
  • Most managers have begun receiving the negotiated raises - but the contract didn't go far enough to erase 22 years of compression.
  • Healthcare costs have risen, but your pay has not kept up. The law is up for renegotiation in 2015 and managers need to have a voice at the table.
  • Sick leave upon retirement is on the table - we are meeting with legislators to preserve our rights.
  • The Governor is trying to gut our pensions - we need a strong Union to fight back.
  • IBEW has successfully represented managers in grievances and discipline - who will you turn to if you need help?
  • The administration only respects numbers - if everyone joins as a full member we will be in the strongest possible position for the next contract negotiation which is starting in a few months.
  • There is no penalty for joining the union as some have suggested - it is illegal to discriminate on that basis.
  • Our Local is run by managers - for managers - the International is there to support us - not tell us what to do.

There is no time to wait -

You Need to Take Action Now!

Download the IBEW application and dues deduction card at  http://psmanj.org/

Stand up and be counted!

  

To those of you who have done so already we sincerely thank you; to the eligible managers who have not done so we urge you to step up and support YOUR UNION by becoming a full member. To sign up, please download and fill out the IBEW Membership Application and Dues Deduction Card.  Then send them to :

 

IBEW Local 30

212 East State Street

Trenton, NJ 08608  

  

The IBEW Executive Board will soon begin to prepare for the next contract negotiations with the State. As you know the current contract expires on June 30, 2015 and we expect to begin formal negotiations sometime in February.  

  • We need your support! By signing up to be full members of IBEW Local 30 you will send a strong message to the negotiations team, and more importantly, to the State indicating Local 30 has the full support of its members!
  • We need your ideas and suggestions! Please tell us your ideas and concerns related to improving the terms and conditions of the contract going forward. We clearly recognize continued salary increases are a primary goal we must continue to prioritize. We are committed to continue our fight to restore fairness and equity to the compensation plan and to abate salary compression between managers and their subordinates.
  • We need designated Shop Stewards! As you know we represent managers in all 16 departments. Although we are happy to report the number of grievances and discipline matters have not been overwhelming it is nevertheless important we have managers trained and ready to provide support and guidance when necessary to our members. Please let us know if you are interested in becoming a Shop Steward.
We have posted the Contract Salary Chart for the raises along with a discussion on how to determine your increases at http://psmanj.org/salary.html.

IBEW continues to work with the State to refine the list of eligible managers. The revised list (July 31, 2014) and eligibility criteria are available at http://psmanj.org/IBEW.html.  Please be aware that the list will continue to be refined and will change over time as managers' situations change.
 
Many people have contacted IBEW about getting their names on the eligible list.  Please be aware that you have to work through your Department's Office of Human Resources if you believe that you are eligible - please follow the directions on the eligibility page.

Legislative Update 

Tim Martin, MBI, November 13, 2014

 

The Senate Budget & Appropriations Committee unanimously released legislation limiting unused sick leave and vacation pay for school and local employees to $15,000. S-2318, sponsored by Senator Joseph Kyrillos (R - Monmouth) and Senate President Steve Sweeney (D - Gloucester), also prohibits the use of six or more consecutive days of accumulated sick leave by an employee in the twelve months prior without a medical examination.  It was supported by the Chamber of Commerce, Association of Counties, and School Boards Association. The AFL-CIO, CWA, NJEA, FOP and Professional Firefighters Association opposed the measure, although no verbal testimony was provided by either side.

 

While current law imposes these limits on state employees, high profile cases of unused sick-leave payments to municipal employees continue to make headlines, including Red Bank's recent $289,000 payout to 5 retiring employees and a $188,000 payment to a retiring superintendent of schools in Union City. The Department of Community Affairs reports that total accumulated absence liabilities in FY 2010 were $1.123 billion, $864.3 million of which was owed to municipal employees and $259.3 million to county employees. More recently, the Christie Administration has claimed that municipal liabilities for 2014 total $880 million, a 2% increase.

 

With the focus on municipal employees, PSMA has been working to raise awareness of the disparities between local and state compensation, specifically the 2:1 ratio applied to public sector managers. Representatives from PSMA met with Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi, prime sponsor of the Assembly counterpart (A-3559).  We indicated our support for the bill if State employees are treated in the same manner as the other public employees.  We are meeting with Assembly State Government Committee Chair Linda Stender in December to discuss the same issue.

 

Our hope is to restore parity to our compensation by reaching a compromise that extends the $15,000 cap to local employees, while implementing a 1:1 sick leave rule to state managers.  

Money 2

Analysis: NJ Public Employees Pay High Percentage of Healthcare Costs

Mark J. Magyar/NJ Spotlight/ November 18, 2014

 

Three-and-a-half years ago, the state Pension and Health Benefits Study Commission appointed by Gov. Chris Christie would have had an easy time arguing that public employees should pay more toward their healthcare, as Christie has asserted.

 

At that time, the average state worker was paying just 3.6 percent of health premium costs, and some teachers, police, and local government employees were paying nothing at all, toward some of the most expensive healthcare policies in the country.

 

Today, however, while the cost of New Jersey public employee health insurance coverage remains the third-highest in the nation, most New Jersey public employees are paying more than the national average for state government workers toward their health insurance costs, an NJ Spotlight analysis shows.

 

In fact, the average New Jersey government employee is paying more for individual health insurance coverage than government workers in any other state and the 10th-highest average premium for family coverage in the country.

 

Further, state and local government workers are paying a much higher percentage of the cost of their individual health insurance policies than private-sector employees in New Jersey have been paying, and not much less than the percentage paid by the state's private-sector workers for family coverage.

 

The health benefit payment schedule set by Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) as part of the controversial 2011 pension and health benefits overhaul established a complex premium-sharing formula based on "ability to pay" that is the most progressive in the nation -- one that ranges from a low of 3 percent of premium cost for those earning under $25,000 to a high of 35 percent of premium for those making over $110,000 for family coverage.

 

The bipartisan commission's terim report focused not only on the unfunded liability, but also on the rising cost of public employee health benefits, the problem caused by most government workers choosing more expensive traditional plans over less costly preferred provider options, and the impact of the "Cadillac tax" on high-cost health insurance plans that will be imposed under the Affordable Care Act beginning in 2018.

 

But the question of whether New Jersey public employees are paying a proper share of premium costs was not addressed by the commission's interim report.

 

Christie, who had staged a "No Pain, No Gain" summer tour to drum up public support for cutting state worker pensions and benefits, immediately seized upon the Pew report to declare that New Jersey taxpayers were paying 91 percent of the cost of public employee benefits. "New Jersey taxpayers pay a greater share than all of our neighbors," Christie declared.

 

It was a statement that Christie -- who has been trumpeting the cost savings from the 2011 pension and health benefits law to national audiences for three years -- knew or should have known to be erroneous, as Hetty Rosenstein, state director for the Communications Workers of America, the state government's largest union, was quick to point out.

 

Pew quickly amended its study to note that New Jersey was in the middle of a complex four-year phase-in of employee health premium contributions in the 2013 calendar year when it made its comparisons. In fact, by the time the Pew study was published, New Jersey state government workers were already in the final year of a phase-in schedule under which the share of health premiums for a state employee making the average salary of $67,000 ranged from 19 percent for family coverage to 23 percent for member/spouse and parent/child policies to 29 percent for individuals.

 

Today, a New Jersey state worker making the average salary of $67,000 is paying 29 percent of the premium cost for an individual policy -- almost two-and-a-half times the 12.1 percent national average for state government employees with individual coverage, and third in percentage behind only Hawaii and New Mexico. Furthermore, the $220 per month the average New Jersey state worker would have paid out-of-pocket is three times the 2013 national average of $69 per month and more than twice as much as the $104 per month paid by the average New York State worker last year, NJ Spotlight's analysis showed.

 

Meanwhile, the average New Jersey state employee is paying just 21 percent toward the cost of family health insurance premiums (defined in the Pew survey as both family coverage and member/spouse, parent/child plans) -- a percentage that is higher than the national average of 18.7 percent, but ranks 23rd in the nation and is lower than New York, Massachusetts and California. New Jersey's S328 average premium for family coverage would have ranked 11th in the nation -- $195 less than first-place Hawaii and $50 less than New York.

 

What distinguishes New Jersey from every other state is the highly progressive premium payment schedule that Sweeney inserted into Chapter 78, the 2011 pension and health benefits law he sponsored and pushed through the Legislature over union opposition with the unanimous support of the Republican minority and a coalition of South Jersey, Essex, and Hudson County Democratic votes.

 

"Governor Christie wanted every public employee to pay 30 percent of healthcare costs, but I looked at it, and there was no way a state worker making $22,000 a year could afford to pay that kind of money for health insurance," Sweeney said. Under Christie's plan, a $22,000-a-year attendant in a state psychiatric hospital would have had to pay $6,000 toward the cost of a $20,000 family plan.

 

"The point was ability to pay," Sweeney said. "I think 35 percent is too much, but to get the governor to agree, we had to give him an extra 5 percent on those making over $100,000. We ran the numbers and it worked."

 

Only nine other states -- New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, and West Virginia -- factor "ability to pay" into their health premiums by basing payments on a percentage of salary, McKillop said. Their formulas, however, are only half as progressive as the one designed by Sweeney.

 

Christie's pension and health benefits commission focused on the high price of public employee health insurance. The panel noted in its interim report that the average state government health insurance premium for both family and individual plans was $1,334 per month in 2013 -- the third-highest cost in the nation after New Hampshire and Alaska, and $371 a month higher than the national average.

 

However, Dudley Burdge, a CWA staff representative who serves on the State Health Benefits Commission, noted that "healthcare costs in New Jersey are high because the entire state falls within either the New York or Philadelphia healthcare market. New Jersey's costs are not out of line."

 

The commission acknowledged in its interim report that high healthcare costs in the region will keep New Jersey government health insurance costs higher than the national average.

 

Even with those high costs built in, however, the commission zeroed in on the fact that the "State Health Programs provide generous benefits with little pricing incentive for employees to select anything but plans with the most comprehensive coverage and highest cost to the State."

 

In 2014, for example, "for an employee earning $60,000, there is only a $44 difference in monthly cost to the employee between NJ DIRECT15 and NJ DIRECT2035 -- a plan which over the course of a year would cost the State thousands of dollars," the panel pointed out.

 

As a result, more than 80 percent of the participants in the State Health Benefit Plan are enrolled in the most expensive traditional healthcare plans. And while 17 percent of public- and private-sector workers nationally select low-cost, high-deductible plans, only 137 of the 242,827 current and retired employees enrolled in New Jersey's state health benefit programs do so, the commission noted.

 

Based on those comments in the interim report, union experts expect the Christie commission to focus on recommendations to change the incentives in the State Health Benefits Plan to steer more employees toward less costly coverage -- a shift that the union-management Plan Design Committees set up under the 2011 law have yet to achieve.

 

Achieving that shift is critical, the commission contends, because the state needs to find ways to keep costs below the $27,500 threshold for family coverage and $10,200 limit for individual plans that could trigger a "Cadillac tax" -- a 40 percent excise health insurance tax on health insurance policy costs above that level -- under President Obama's Affordable Care Act.

 

The commission projected that the Cadillac tax could "increase the State Health Programs' costs by an additional $58 million in FY2018, rising to $284 million by 2022."

 

Burdge said such projections are premature because provisions built into the Affordable Care Act that would provide credit for employers whose workforces are older or more heavily female than the national average could keep New Jersey's state government and school districts below the Cadillac Tax threshold.  

 

This article was edited - for the full version with charts CLICK HERE. 

 

Health

Analysis: Partisan and Labor Politics Drive Battle Over Health-Benefits Reform

Mark J. Magyar/NJ Spotlight/November 25, 2014

 

As Gov. Chris Christie's Pension and Health Benefits Study Commission wrestles with the issue of how much public employees should pay toward their health insurance, New Jersey's public-employee unions are focused not only on how much they will pay, but also on making sure they win back the right to collective bargaining on healthcare issues.

 

It is an issue that bitterly divided the Democratic Party and the labor movement four years ago, and its resolution poses political risks for Christie's quest for the Republican presidential nomination and the expected gubernatorial candidacy of Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester).

 

Over the furious objections of union leaders, Chapter 78, the 2011 revision to the state's pension and health benefits law, suspended collective bargaining on health coverage for four years, and required public employees to pay significantly more for their health insurance -- from 3 percent for employees making under $25,000 to 35 percent for those making over $110,000.

 

However, for state workers and about one-third of New Jersey's teachers, police, firefighters, county and municipal employees that four-year mandatory payment schedule -- and the four-year suspension of collective bargaining on health benefits -- ends July 1, 2015.

 

Unless Christie and the Democratic-controlled Legislature pass new laws extending the current health payment schedule or imposing a new one, public-employee unions across the state will begin negotiations on new contracts with the Christie administration, local school districts, county freeholder boards, and municipal governments with the issue of health benefits back on the table.

 

But after Christie's unilateral decision to cut $2.4 billion in pension payments that were promised as a tradeoff for the higher pension and health-benefit contributions that public employees have made, Sweeney and other Democratic legislative leaders are in no mood to negotiate.

 

For taxpayers, public employees, and political leaders alike, the stakes are high.

 

The question of whether -- and how -- public-employee unions get to negotiate over health coverage is a critical issue in determining whether state and local government workers will pay more toward the cost of their health insurance. Christie held out for legislation setting health-premium contributions on a statewide basis because he believed veteran union negotiators would run roughshod over volunteer school board members and part-time municipal officials and push most of the costs onto property taxpayers.

 

The decision over whether to allow collective bargaining on healthcare to resume also will go a long way toward determining whether new incentives will be offered on a statewide basis to induce public employees to switch from traditional plans to less costly policies with higher deductibles before the "Cadillac tax" to be imposed under President Obama's Affordable Care Act hits in 2018.

 

State worker contracts expire June 30, 2015, and Christie -- who has the authority to negotiate state employee contracts without input from the Legislature -- has every incentive to push for punishing concessions he can point to in Iowa and New Hampshire. Four years ago, Christie forced the state-government unions to accept contracts that included no raises in Fiscal Years 2012 and 2013, a 1 percent raise in FY2014, and a 1.75 percent raise for FY2015. That four-year combined raise of 2.75 percent that was dwarfed by out-of-pocket health premium and pension payments averaging 6.5 percent to 11.5 percent that most state workers paid as a result of the 2011 law.

 

However, Christie would need the support of the Democratic-controlled Legislature to extend the suspension of collective bargaining on public employee health insurance issues, and that is unlikely: Sweeney, Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto (D-Hudson), and other top Democratic legislative leaders have made it clear for the past year that they believe public employees in New Jersey are now paying their fair share toward their pension and healthcare costs.

 

Christie's decision to ignore the requirements of the 2011 law by cutting $2.4 billion in pension payments in order to balance his budget after income tax revenues plummeted last spring -- and his refusal to consider Democratic proposals for tax increases on the wealthy and corporations as an alternative -- further steeled Democratic opposition to making public employees pay more.

 

Sweeney felt personally betrayed by Christie. The Ironworkers Union leader put his political career on the line by leading a coalition of South Jersey, Essex and Hudson County Democrats to team with the state's Republican legislators to pass the controversial pension and health benefits law in June -- a decision that cost him the endorsement of the New Jersey State AFL-CIO. "The unions wanted us to vote separately on the pension bill and the health benefits bill, but Christie made it clear he wouldn't sign any bill unless it required public employees to pay more for their health benefits," Sweeney said. "And I knew Christie would have been happy to stop paying into the pension system and let the whole system go under."

 

The unions were not happy about plans by Christie and Sweeney to increase pension contribution rates from 8.5 percent to 10 percent of salary for police and firefighters and from 5.5 percent to 7.5 percent for all nonuniformed workers to address the pension system's unfunded liability, but pensions had always been set by statute.

 

Health benefits, however, had always been collectively bargained by the unions, and that was a right they were determined not to give up -- especially with public employee unions and community activists occupying the Wisconsin Statehouse in Madison to protest Walker's plans to permanently strip his state's unions of their collective-bargaining rights.

 

The Communications Workers of America, preemptively offered to increase state workers' health-premium contributions to 13.5 percent but Christie refused because he wanted legislation that would apply to both state and local government employees, including teachers and police.

 

Sweeney's backchannel negotiations with public-employee union leaders came up short, union officials recalled privately. Both sides discussed -- but could not reach agreement - on a compromise that would have set up a "statewide bargaining table" that would have all of the state and local government unions together to negotiate health-benefits issues -- thus allowing New Jersey to avoid following Wisconsin's political lead.

 

After the backchannel negotiations broke down, Sweeney put together a health-premium payment schedule based on "ability to pay" that ranges from 3 percent to 35 percent of premium. Christie had demanded an immediate 30 percent across-the-board contribution, but he accepted a four-year ramp-up to an average cost share of about 25 percent for public employees and a paltry $10 million in state budget savings the first year.

 

"As a result of the 2011 law, most public employees have seen very little income growth in the last four years," Caprio noted. "Hundreds of thousands of New Jersey wage earners lost 5 percent to 10 percent out of their paychecks as a result of the new healthcare contributions -- and most police and teachers were on the higher end of that scale because they earn higher wages. Add on another 1.5 percent or more taken out for pensions, and a 2 percent cap that is limiting pay raises, and it's no wonder the state economy is lagging."

 

If unions retain the right to negotiate healthcare issues, most local contract negotiations are likely to focus on getting or keeping the cost of health insurance policies below the $27,500 threshold for family plans and $10,200 level for individual coverage that would trigger the "Cadillac tax" by 2018.

 

This article was edited - for full version with graphs please Click Here.  

Board Meeting Notes 
   
The Board met on November 11, 2014 and discussed the IBEW Local 30 membership drive, PSMA dues deduction issue, lobbyist report, and the relationship between PSMA and IBEW Local 30.  The next meeting of the Board of Directors is scheduled for December 2, 2014.
Retirement
PSMA Retirees' Network Update 
 
The Retirees' Network held its Third Breakfast at Wegman's in West Windsor on Tuesday, October 21, 2014.  Items discussed included establishing a Retirees' Network Coordinating Committee, increasing membership, and future events.  We also agreed to hold another breakfast in about three months. 

If you are interested in serving on the Coordinating Committee please send an email to Barry Chalofsky at [email protected].


PSMA Retirees' Network membership continues to grow and is now up to 38 members!
 

As many of you are aware a number of long-time PSMA members have retired from the State.  While this has been a loss to PSMA we all understand that this is part of life - especially for State workers.  We strongly encourage these recent retirees to join the PSMA Retirees' Network.  If you know of a retired manager (or non-manager), please have him or her go to
http://www.psmanj.org/extras/RetiredManagers.pdf for more information.
IBEW
IBEW Seeks to Organize X, Y, V and W Managers 
   
Managers in X, Y, V, and W titles interested in learning how to organize with IBEW, please contact Joe Mastrogiovanni, Jr., IBEW Lead Organizer, at [email protected].