A group of higher-education unions gave support Wednesday to the public-sector workers in their battle for health care coverage.
The Council of New Jersey State College Locals, AFT, and the Rutgers Council of AAUP Chapters, AAUP-AFT – which together represent nearly 15,000 higher education workers – endorsed the Communications Workers of America’s proposal for state worker health care coverage.
“Our members know we have to be part of the solution to fixing New Jersey’s economic situation,” said Nicholas Yovnello, president of the Council of State College Locals, in a release. “That is why faculty and staff at New Jersey’s nine state colleges and universities are prepared to bargain for the significant changes in healthcare benefits proposed by CWA. The Council represents 8,700 teachers, librarians, and other professionals.
Gov. Chris Christie has repeatedly said he will not negotiate health care, and instead wants to achieve an overhaul of the system through legislation.
“Governor Christie’s continued refusal to bargain over healthcare and his pursuit of legislation to remove healthcare from collective bargaining altogether makes it clear that, just like his so-called collective bargaining reforms in higher education, he is more interested in taking away public workers collective bargaining rights than he is in actually saving taxpayers money,” Yovnello said.
