Eliminating Seniority and Making Public Service a Revolving Door

On May 10, Governor Christie unleashed a series of proposals to attack public sector unions in New Jersey, which he called his “Toolkit” for reform. There are 33 proposals in the package.

 

Toolkit proposal 16 allows management to unilaterally eliminate seniority in the event of layoffs or reductions in force. It exists in legislative form as A2956 in the Assembly and S2011 in the Senate. It applies to all public workers, in both Civil Service jurisdictions and non-Civil Service.

 

An employer could simply declare one worker (or several workers) “more critical and essential,” and lay off other, more senior workers first—and it gives management broad authority to determine exactly what makes one worker “more critical and essential.” Employers would only have to justify decisions to a single commissioner appointed by Governor Christie himself.

 

Think this can’t affect you? Even if you have fewer years of service now, how long will your job be secure once managers decide they want to start laying off the most senior workers first? The bill gives managers the ability to continuously lay off workers with more seniority, for the sole reason that they have been on the job longer. Then they can rehire younger workers later, and start the process all over again—turning public employment into a revolving door, rather than a career. 

 

It will lead to discrimination.  How long do you think it will be beofore managers declare workers they simply don't like to be “less essential” than their friends or the politically-connected?

 

CWA is asking all members to call their legislators about the Toolkit.  Contact your local for more infomation about how to get involved.