When I was growing up, this time of year was stressful because it was "tax season," and my father was an accountant. For many of us, tax time is always a little stressful, what with gathering documentation to prepare a return, or organizing slips of paper so the accountant can.

As you may already know, the University made an error this year on our W2s that affects anyone who pays New Jersey State income tax. And that's all of us-including out-of-state residents. The discrepancy is not a large one, but will likely result in your owing a little more in state taxes. Human Resources has said they will provide details soon, and that you should soon have your amended W2.

We have notified the Administration that many of our members will have increased filing expenses because of their error, and HR has requested that we compile that data for them. Of course, they made no promises, but if this administrative error has caused you added expense for, say, extra accountant fees, send the information directly to me, and I will be sure to let the administration know. It's also a good time to check your pay stub to be sure you're on the correct Range and Step. This is particularly important for those who have received a performance-based promotion, a faculty promotion, or a range change, since there have been a few errors and it's better to uncover them early.

Changing gears and looking forward, the New Jersey Gubernatorial race is starting to heat up. Both the College Council and AFTNJ have endorsed Barbara Buono, as she has been a stalwart defender of worker's rights, women's issues, and affordable healthcare. She also presents a stark contrast to the rhetoric and actions of Governor Christie. We encourage you to pay attention as this plays out over the next few months and leading up to the election. The quality of our next round of contract negotiations depends on the outcome of the election. The Local is committed to working in your best interests for a fair contract in both the financial and procedural spheres. We will keep you informed as best we can so you can make an informed choice come November.

For those of you who will be leaving New Jersey during Spring Break, I wish you a safe trip. For those of us who will be left behind working, I hope that it will be less stressful than usual and afford some time to catch up. I'm especially hoping that I'll catch up.