Local educators, school staff take a stand on legislative needs

“It’s time to level the playing field, and—in one unifying voice—we are calling upon our legislators to do so.”
WHO: The Burlington County Education Association and Rank and file members of the NJEA
WHAT: RED4ED Rally outside of Senator Addiego’s office
WHERE: 176 Route 70 Medford, NJ
WHEN: May 1, 2019 at 4:30 PM.

Medford– The Burlington County Education Association along with rank and file NJEA members who live in Legislative District 8 will rally outside of Senator Addiego’s office [Legislative District 8] to call attention to several pervasive problems that affect New Jersey’s public school employees.

Just last year, Senator Addiego’s own personal pension was padded in a controversial move by NJ politicians. Currently she is partnering with Senate President Steve Sweeney and planning an attack on pensions and healthcare benefits of NJ public employees. These initiatives do not provide immediate tax relief to NJ tax payers and stand to hurt the middle class. Senator Addiego needs to immediately discontinue her support for Sweeney’s “Path to Poverty” initiative and instead focus on taxing millionaires. She has a much larger percentage of public worker families than millionaires who live in Legislative District 8. Her job is to represent her constituents.

Our public school employees need financial relief from Chapter 78, the 2011 law that imposed constantly increasing health benefits contributions. Under this law, paychecks are going backwards even with slight increases in salaries. In many cases, public school employees are netting less than they did four, five, or even six years ago.

Additionally, the education support professionals (ESPs) in New Jersey’s public schools which includes men and women who serve as paraprofessionals, secretaries, security guards, custodians, maintenance personnel, bus drivers and more—are often victims of privatization. Local school districts, in an attempt to save money, bring in unqualified, hourly workers hired by an outside firm whose only concern is making a profit, not the wellbeing of the children they serve. Moreover, these public school employees currently work without just cause protections.

“Like our colleagues around the country in the Red for Ed movement, we demand that public education in NJ no longer take a backseat to other issues. NJ’s public schools are top in the nation and we demand a greater respect for the people who dedicate their lives to our children,” said Anthony Rizzo, BCEA President