Marc Gaswirth’s recent Your Turn guest column (Tri-Town News, Feb. 18) explaining how the state’s contract negotiation rules stack the deck against school boards and taxpaying citizens was excellent.
It is vital that concerned citizens contact their state representatives and demand that something be done to end what has become an insult to all of us, not to mention an economic time bomb that is contributing to the financial ruin of this state.
Mr. Gaswirth’s timely call to action comes just after the Marlboro Township Education Association (MTEA) showed a stunning lack of care or respect for the taxpayer by demanding annual salary increases averaging 4.25 percent each year for five years, refusing to contribute one single penny toward their $17,000 per year health plans, and forcing an extra $300 payout per member for reasons not explained.
This when the state coffers are dried up, debt is piled just about as high as it can go, and when privatesector employees have seen cut wages, reduced benefits and jobs lost.T
he sense of entitlement exhibited by the MTEA and many other public employee unions across this state and country is mind-numbing.
You would think they would at least pretend to be sensitive to what is going on in the real world. Instead, we see an attitude of “gimme mine and the rest of you be damned.”
Public employee unions have been living off the complacent, distracted taxpayer for far too long. They send huge heaps of
money to their chosen politicians, and once elected, those politicians, irresponsible to the core, turn around and set up a playing field that gives the unions a huge advantage, regardless of the negative impact on our state,
our country, or the taxpayer who foots the bill.
They have overplayed their hand at the wrong time. It is time for our legislators to step in. I urge anyone who cares about this issue to contact their elected representatives and demand action.
Elected officials across this country are hearing from their constituents in record numbers over issues of fiscal irresponsibility, and those officials are listening. Now is the time for change, so speak up and speak loudly.
Marlene Pedersen
Manalapan