TRENTON - The drum quintet began playing far in advance of the noon rally, providing the courtyard outside the Statehouse annex with a pulsating - and incredibly loud - sound.

So it was not surprising that near the end of a rally for lower health care costs, one of the organizers said with pride that the demonstration had "interrupted" a hearing inside.

That was the whole idea, after all.

The rally probably drew about 2,000 people who jammed the courtyard and parts of West State Street.

The main organizer was the Communication Workers of America, or CWA, and many attendees proved that point by wearing their red CWA T-shirts. But many other unions were involved, including the AFL-CIO and the NJEA.

The issue here is as simple as it is serious. Public employees in New Jersey are paying far too much for health care and/or insurance.

They are not alone, of course, but state lawmakers, at least in theory, can try to remedy things.

Charles Wowkanech, the head of the AFL-CIO, explained the problem quite clearly.

He said many public employees got 4 percent raises this year, but in some cases, health insurance premiums rose as much as 33 percent.

In what was quite the understatement, Wowkanech said employees got the "the short end of the stick."

Many attendees carried signs reading such things as "Respect Our Work" and "Health Care Is A Human Right."

It is public workers, one speaker said, who make sure the state runs, not corporations or the insurance companies.

Nothing happens in a vacuum, and rising health costs are a problem throughout the nation.

Here in New Jersey, the problem is the state's Health Benefits Plan, which then-Gov. Phil Murphy said last year is in a "death spiral."

Raj Mukherji, a state senator from Hudson County, addressed the crowd and said he has introduced legislation to help. In simple terms, his bill would increase transparency when it comes to coverage and also seek to rein in premium costs.

Public unions in the state tend to support Democrats, meaning they have supported a lot of those running the government from Mikie Sherrill on down.

That was not forgotten today as one speaker noted that, "we" (the unions) helped put many lawmakers in office.

Now, they need help themselves.

There is, of course, some frustration here. A similar rally was held just about a year ago.

But the problem remains.

A popular chant at union and pro-workers' rallies is:

"When We Fight, We Win."

That chant was heard today. Time we tell if it's prophetic.