© 2024 WBGO
Discover Jazz...Anywhere, Anytime, on Any Device.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

35,000 NJ State Workers Getting Raises And Back Pay

New Jersey Statehouse

35,000 New Jersey state employees who had been working without a contract for three years will be getting a raise and some back pay.

A new contract the Communications Workers of American ratified with the Murphy administration calls for a two percent salary increase in August and another two percent raise in July of next year for the workers employed by the executive branch of state government.

It also calls for back pay for performance ‘step increases’ the Christie administration froze in 2015.

Republican Senator Tony Bucco says that could be expensive.

“Be interesting to see exactly what it’s going to cost us because it’s going to be very, very difficult in our budget season here.” 

Democrat Senator Linda Greenstein believes providing the funding is a priority because of the 2011 law that required state employees to contribute more for their pension and health care.

“I feel that many of the people are very put upon in so many different ways, the cost of their health insurance, anything that we can do to help here would be very important from my perspective.”

The Governor’s office says the state’s costs have been accounted for in the current budget and Governor Murphy’s budget plan for the next fiscal year.