Over 3,000 CWA Members and Retirees Rally in Trenton, Demand New Jersey Act on Healthcare Affordability
| Over 3,000 CWA Members and Retirees Rally in Trenton, Demand New Jersey Act on Healthcare Affordability
At the “Fund Healthcare, Not Corporate Profit” rally, workers called on state leaders to lower costs without shifting more of the burden onto workers, retirees, local governments, and families Press assets: CLICK HERE to download photos and videos from the rally |
| TRENTON, NJ – More than 3,000 CWA District 1 members, retirees, elected officials, local leaders, and allies rallied at the New Jersey State House Annex on Thursday, June 18, calling on state leaders to confront New Jersey’s healthcare affordability crisis.
Members took their case directly to the State House, meeting with and hearing from a slate of legislators, labor leaders, and local officials. Speakers included:
“Healthcare was supposed to be the promise that came with public service, and that promise is broken for the people who keep New Jersey running," said Tonya Hodges, CWA District 1 Area Director for New Jersey. "We’re no longer willing to support a system that turns a blind eye to skyrocketing profits and passes that bill to regular working families. The state already has the tools to fix this crisis. What has been missing is the political will to use them." The rally called on state leaders to adopt practical reforms, including stronger oversight of healthcare vendors and carriers, real transparency in pricing and drug costs, PBM reform and competitive bidding, and claims audits to root out waste. Above all, members called for protecting the State Health Benefits Program so it stays strong, affordable, and sustainable for the workers and retirees who depend on it. Public workers and retirees across New Jersey are paying more for healthcare and getting less. For the 2026 plan year, premiums rose between 37 and 55 percent for local government workers and over 15 percent for state workers, on top of a 112 percent compounded increase since 2021 for local government workers. Rising premiums, deductibles, copays, and prescription drug costs are taking more from paychecks and fixed incomes at a time when families are already stretched by housing, groceries, utilities, and taxes. “I have never seen our members this engaged, and they are not going to let up,” said Anna-Marta Visky, New Jersey Political and Field Director, CWA District 1. “CWA District 1 will keep showing up until New Jersey delivers meaningful reform that lowers costs for the workers and retirees who keep this state running.” ABOUT CWA DISTRICT 1 CWA District 1 represents more than 170,000 active and retired members across New York, New Jersey, and New England in public service, telecommunications, media, healthcare, manufacturing, and other sectors, including roughly 70,000 members in New Jersey. |
