If your ex boyfriend had selectively picked some fights instead of succumbing to the toxic mix of money and politics and remembered that the taxpayers support the government, the state would at least be in a better position to withstand the present fiscal crisis.In lieu of the fact that the Wall St genius could not negotiate the financial landscape you might at least let CC attempt his own brand of governing.
Besides, isn't your 15 minutes up by now.

Most of the anti union information about Christie came from the Unions themselves, so to keep repeating campaign lies is irresponable writing, The State of NJ is in a finacial crisis and to think State Workers won't have to give back some concessions is probably why you aren't in the ledership anymore.

To get the state going in the right direction again and TO CREATE JOBS, Christie and the Legislature are going to have to chamge the way trenton does business.

Over generous benefit packages with 10 paid holidays and a crazy sick day quirks will have to change.
The private sector can't give this stuff out, why should the tax payers have to keep paying for perks most people never see?

Christie has said his gaol is to not layoff State workers, why didn't you write that in your coloumn?

Lets give him a chance before we start writing he is anti union, thats just ridiculous, he is too smart to underestimate how amny unuon families there are in NJ, and the bottom line is,
WHY WOULD HE WANT THESE PEOPLE OUT OF WORK???

I think Carla needs to wake up and smell the coffee, the election was over 2 weeks ago, cut out the inneundo and stick to facts.

The average state worker averages $50,000 . We work at prisons, developmental centers, psych hospitals, we handle motor vehicle issues , we protect the environment as well as the vulnerable children of this State. We go to work every day and we give the taxpayers an honest day's work for an honest day's pay. We are your neighbors ,our children play together , they attend the same schools. We pay our taxes. We pay for our families health benefits. We contribute to our pension fund.We are good citizens of this State.

So why are we so despised, so maligned? Why are we stereotyped as greedy and lazy?

Is it comments and "stands" by our Union leadership that gets people angry? Well many times those comments get us angry also.

Is it a bad experience with a State department that has some angry? Well we don't make policy we just have to enforce it. To be honest some of the policies are outdated and plain silly.

Our political leaders are going to have to make some difficult fiscal choices in the coming months. Using us point of service state workers as scapegoats has become politically popular. I hope that we are judged on the work that we do for the taxpayers of this State and not on stereotypical rhetoric.

We are not rich and we are not lazy,and the overwhelming majority of us do the best we can to provide the services ,you ,the taxpayer demand. I simply ask that you judge the point of service state worker fairly. Thanks.

Carla more than anyone understands the repercussions of Article 41, the" no funding clause" of the contract.

Christie can do as he pleases due tothat clause.

is cut 45 % of all these Union thugs from the State dole. Then strip those remaining of all pensions and let them beg for a 401 K
that the rest us us have to beg for.

Now that you've lost, you have decided you can dictate the terms of surrender. There is no need to disparage state workers.  Most do a reasonable amount of work (though we all know about the abuses of overtime and pension rules by both union and non-union emplyess).  Th issue is simple -- WE CAN"T AFFORD ALL OF YOU!  If Corzine had addressed issues instead of trying to buy votes, maybe the hole wouldn't be so deep, but we are where we are. 

Is make sure his old office (Federal Prosecutor)does not drop the Federal Investigation on your skanky ass, Carla!

If I were the governor-elect, I'd think with caution about taking advice from a disgraced ex-labor leader whose solution is always more union. Funny how when you only have one tool in your toolbox, it's suddenly the answer to everything.

Ms. Katz has a well-known record, which includes that affair with Jon Corzine. The relationship got her an enormous sum of money. All of this has come under scrutiny. And this made her fit to lead public employees?

By comparison, Mr. Christie is known as a loyal husband and father and nothing he proposes is beyond the scope of law or common sense.

Listen to whom you choose. For me, Ms. Katz never makes that kist.

Enjoy oblivion, Carla! And don't try to send me the bill.

Carla,

We are drowning in taxes. The NJEA is probably more to blame than the CWA, but the state employee unions do run a close second.

The NJEA may just be a bit overpaid. But their benefits and pensions, and the state ee. benefit and pensions are obscene.

If CC was elected to do anything at all, he was elected to be financially responsible without increasing taxes yet again.

If CC does what is right, he will be hated by the public ee. union leadership. It is a price he should be willing to pay, in order to save NJ from financial ruin, or at least to make it less financially ruinous.

"Christie has said his gaol is to not layoff State workers, why didn't you write that in your coloumn?"

I think she did:

"Christie has said he was not "bound by" the recent Corzine negotiations and that there may be no layoffs "if we can reach a fair agreement with all the parties that recognizes the pressures that the taxpayers are under and the state government is under."

Both sides are playing hardball and this will go on for several months through the budget process. As Carla pointed out alot of Republicans represent a significant number of union workers and public employees. I live in a heavily Republican township where the single largest employer is the school district, and most people I know are union workers, school district employees, or work for some other government agency. Christie benefited this year from a relatively low union turnout, but if he gives them the back of his hand they'll be alot more proactive in two years when Assembly and Senate seats are up.

http://christiegonewild.blogspot.com

Why is Politicker putting up this drivel from a disgraced ex-labor leader who was canned by her own union for, can you believe it, corruption? Who is next, McGreevey?

is ignore this column.

Why is a defrocked former union leader who is (by press reports) under federal criminal investigation being allowed, either by PolitickerNJ.com or her attorneys, to write this column??? That is the bigger question.

For the pat 8 years the leaders of NJ's organized labor community have been greedy pigs who gave millions in union dues to Democrats and harvested billions in contracts, regulations, job training grants, and new laws as reward. 20 years ago, labor understood that they had no permanent allies or enemies and made sure they had a good working relationship with leaders on both sides. They ended that. They became an arm of the Democratic party. Their choice. And a bad one. The leadership badly misread the mood of their members. They railed publicly against Christie (Steve Sweeney said labor should "kick Christie's ass.") The only thing these thugs understand is power. Christie has it. He should use it aggressively to take away as much as he can from these jerks while leaving the door open for a more balanced relationship in the future. If they don't want one, then he should punish the leaders and protect the taxpaying worker.

To quote Karla, "Governor-Elect, Christie may believe he has to live up to his anti-union campaign rhetoric or face a backlash from conservatives in his party. That would be a mistake."

Mistake? He won without any help from the union assholes. He has no obligation any of them and the more he does to dismantle and undermine their hold on NJ's workforce and tax payer dollars, the better.

Beyond that, why would anyone, least of all our Governor Elec, listen to anything Karla Katz has to say?

Go away Karla and just rot in the multi-million dollar whore house your ex boyfriend/governor paid for.

Oh, and take Charlie "Jell Head" Wowkanek with you. You deserve each other.

The fact that this deposed union leader CK thinks that she can dictate to the governor elect in this manifesto of union negotiation is one of the reasons that the populace of NJ has such a incendiary opinion of union workers and their intractable unions. Your leadership makes such caustic demands in the face of the state's fiscal crisis and of course they were aided and abetted by CK's ex boyfriend. That CK refuses to go away further fuels the fire.Union members like the classroom teacher are not the target but collectively the unions fail to see the larger picture.

"The average state worker averages $50,000 "

Not in New Jersey he doesn't. According to Census Bureau data--which you can check for yourself--the average wage for full-time employees in our fair State, as of March 2008 is $66,961.88. Add in a reasonable roll-up cost of 25% for statutory and other benefits and we're talking about paying AN AVERAGE TOTAL COMPENSATION PACKAGE OF $83,702.35 to each full-time State worker.

That's 10% HIGHER than in New York and only 6% lower than in the disastrous California.

If you want to know, FirstAmend, why people in this State resent public sector employees it is because THE single major cause of our run-away taxation and fiscal mismanagement is the absurd compensation packages we've gifted our public sector employees.

The gravy train must end--and soon!--or we will face an unparalleled economic crisis. We make California look like a model of fiscal prudence by virtually every economic measure. And public sector employees still get their raises, still get unconscionable pension benefits, still get ridiculous poet-employment benefits and still pay next to nothing for health care. All while private sector employees have worked hard and sacrificed to maintain competitiveness in an increasingly competitive global marketplace. But public sector employees simply belly up to the bar for another handout by taxpayers.

Why don't we simply agree that NO public sector employee will have any benefit--from vacation to medical benefits--that exceeds the median value (NOT COST!), as measured by independent actuaries, of the benefits provided to the employees of the 100 largest publicly traded corporations headquartered in New Jersey? Why don't we stipulate that NO public sector employee will have average pay which exceeds 100% of the average pay of peer positions in that same group of comparators? And the answer is....because paying public sector employees on a par with employees at the very best and most high paying companies in this State would be a COME DOWN for public sector employees.

And, that, FirstAmend is why the people of this State, the people who are being forced to make sacrifices to remain here resent being lectured by greedy, self-serving cretins like Carla Katz and her ilk. The end is coming, FirstAmend. Get ready for it now!

Were I Gov-elect Christie I would make it clear that I stand squarely on the side of the average citizen. I would make it clear that public sector employees will be paid commensurate with what taxpayers can reasonably afford. And I would make it clear that the days of give-aways and lies are ended.

To begin, I cannot even believe that the political discourse on a website that is supposed to serve a well-educated and politically savvy audience is so disgusting. Particularly with regard to the "multi-million dollar whore statement," the only word I have is SERIOUSLY?! Obviously we know the personal background of the writer of this piece, and you've accomplished NOTHING by making such lewd and disgraceful statements, save for muddying the name of the Republican Party here in New Jersey. Thanks a lot.

As a Republican and somebody who feels that the influence of unions in New Jersey is absolutely out of control, I will say this in response to Ms. Katz's piece: the issue is not a wide-spread hatred of state workers, but rather, disproportionately excellent compensation they get, specifically when weighed against the fact that many individuals find themselves disappointed with the quality of services their tax dollars are paying for. Early in my time in college, I worked in a City Planner's office, and my boss made a statement that left an impression on me with regard to public employees: many lack basic customer service skills. At the end of the day, dealing with the responsibilities of ANY job becomes frustrating for an individual, however, the lucrative contracts by which state workers are bound, combined with the power-house legal teams behind them, perpetuates a sense that they don't necessarily need to "do unto others..." At the end of the day, every state worker from the CWA employee to the janitors cleaning the toilets at the state house are public servants just like any elected official, and should act as such. Obviously, this does not go for all, but it's a problem nonetheless. Furthermore, the legal and high-dollar administrative costs behind these unions drive the prices of labor, and thus the taxes, for the average citizen, with an exorbitant amount of money going into white-collar (and untaxed) consulting and legal services; which drains not only the New Jersey taxpayer, but also the New Jersey state worker, to an extent. On the issue of PLA's, Ms. Katz makes a point about President Obama's reversal of a Bush policy, however fails to make note of the fact that initial reports on the impact of the stimulus package (and PLA's that resulted from it) were misconstrued to the point of being nearly fabricated. The fundamental problem in Ms. Katz's piece has little to do with her personal background (and as previously stated, it's disgusting and disgraceful to repeatedly bring up a past that I think every party can agree is pretty damn embarrassing) and everything to do with the fact that her argument is steeped in the misconception that New Jersey (and Republicans) hate state workers. That's not the case; New Jersey and Republicans hate the mismanagement that has led to such a high cost of living in the state, and administrative and bureaucratic greed that robs not only the average tax-payer, but also the honest and well-intentioned state workers that we don't think about in our daily diatribes.

The way the taxpayer sees it, those are the five things he shouldn't do. Your raid on the wallets and purses over the past 30 or more years has caused this financial mess. We are failing because taxes are too high and you cannot lower taxes by increasing spending and if you think it is possible you are an idiot!!

The budge should be cut by 40% and your pension is not our problem. Collective Bargaining is the problem, and take him to court, but the court has no authority to enforce, it still must go to the legislature and Christie can VETO it. Does the court control the state police?

How about an "Executive Order" from Christie enforcing the Right to Work statute on the books that has been ignored. Get real or get out.

"If you don't read the newspapers, you are uninformed; if you do read the newspapers, you are misinformed."  - Mark Twain

The way the taxpayer sees it, those are the five things he shouldn't do. Your raid on the wallets and purses over the past 30 or more years has caused this financial mess. We are failing because taxes are too high and you cannot lower taxes by increasing spending and if you think it is possible you are an idiot!!

The budget should be cut by 40% and your pension is not our problem. Collective Bargaining is the problem, and take him to court, but the court has no authority to enforce, it still must go to the legislature and Christie can VETO it. Does the court control the state police?

How about an "Executive Order" from Christie enforcing the Right to Work statute on the books that has been ignored. Get real or get out.

"If you don't read the newspapers, you are uninformed; if you do read the newspapers, you are misinformed."  - Mark Twain

Unions have destroyed this country...You dont need to look any further than Detroit and what they did to the auto industry. There are employment laws that protect employees now, unions have outlived their usefulness. Carla the voters have spoken now GO AWAY!

The voters spoke that they DON'T support the unions, in particular, their pension plans. Those plans are no different than the ones Bernie Madoff planned. Anyone who continues to represent the fact they can be achieved should be put in jail with Madoff. We NJ residents who don't get paid by the taxpayers want to contribute to our own retirement, not anyone else's. Let them save like the rest of us.

First Amendment07 had it right.  We are not rich and we are not lazy.  I am amazed at the hatred for state workers.  It is not the state worker who caused the recession. 

It was Christie Whitman, and George Bush.  Corzine was not responsible for the economy and Carla Katz is a has been.  What we need to do if figure out a way to stop all the name calling and fix the state of new jersey's economy as much as we can under the current financial crisis of the entire united states.  Only ten states have seen improvement or are not affected by the current financial crisis. 

And what is wrong with state workers getting paid for the job they do? The private sector makes more money, but we get more benefits.  It most likely balances out.  They pay more for health insurance, but get paid way more.  And if we did not support private sector, how would they survive.  It's a give and take.  So let's stop blaming the state workers for all of new jersey's ills. 

It's easy to blame Corzine for high taxes, etc.  Well let's see what Christie does when he lays off democrats and replace them with republicans because that is all they do.  It will be no different, you'll see and what will you do then, re-elect Corzine?  I admit there are some problems here, but blaming the state worker is not the answer.  It has to be across the board blame. So get it together New Jersey.

Chelie   

What an amazing post, Chelie. You somehow managed to get not a single fact even close to right. Public sector employees now make more, on average, than the private sector. Public sector employees' benefits are dramatically richer, more expensive and carrying larger unfunded liabilities than private sector employees. The private sector has realigned to reflect current economic realities. The Public sector has not.

Your bizarre notion that Whitman and Bush drove our current recession ignores the facts that this is primarily a credit crisis. People borrowed beyond their ability to pay (with the blessing and support of Dems and Republicans through legislation, Fannie and Freddie), investors concocted absurdly complex and unsound schemes to try and capitalize on all that easy money. And when the inevitable happened everyone looked for a villain. Bush didn't cause our financial problems and Whitman certainly didn't. New Jersey's budgetary problems can ONLY be solved by quickly and significantly cutting labor costs, both acorss-the-board and surgically.

Public sector employees are entitled to a FAIR wage and benfits package. They are not entitled to compensation that not only exceeds reasonableness but exceeds the ability of taxpayers to pay.  Stop inventing "facts", Chelie. Go talk to your union handlers and tell them to wake up, to start participating in saving the State by realigning compensation to a relaistic level. The avarice of the public sector is cannibalizing us all. The whining poor me attitude of you public sector employees won't change the simple and indisputable fact that YOU ARE THE MAJOR CAUSE OF OUR FINANCIAL PROBLEMS.And every politician and informed person in his State knows that to be the absolute truith

It is arrogant beyond belief for KAtz to be giving advice to our newly elected Governor on what he should do. Ms. Katz never did a damn thing that wasn't self-serving. Her "advice" to Chris Christie is more of the same. And he should what any sane individual would do. IGNORE IT!

And again I ask why does KAtz even have a forum on here?

Have you ever been to Trenton during the week? Most cars have PA plates (other than the cars owned by the state)

Why would they live in NJ when they can pay a fraction of the taxes in PA?

Christie should first institute a hiring freeze, force out eligable employees into retirement fire unproductive employees and then institute layoffs. We all remember when the state was shut down during the budget crisis and we could have saved million but Corzine decided to pay the unions anyway

Christie should first institute a hiring freeze, force out eligable employees into retirement fire unproductive employees and then institute layoffs. We all remember when the state was shut down during the budget crisis and we could have saved million but Corzine decided to pay the unions anyway

Who Gives a Rat's Ass about anything Carla says.  When Corzine finally goes, would he please take that piece of trash with him.  Garbage belongs with garbage.

2010 will be the year that the Gov unions will a thing of the past.

Christie must fire all unproductive state / taxpayer funded workers.

If their Dept does not turn a profit they should go. Joe and Jane NJ taxpayer are sick and tired of giving these idiots a free ride. They will no longer be protected by tyrants in black robes because the tax payers will have their heads on a pitchfork if the private sector lose any more jobs

"""Obviously we know the personal background of the writer of this piece, and you've accomplished NOTHING by making such lewd and disgraceful statements"""

I agree. honestly if she can got loads of money from Corzine.. well you really can't argue with that success. We all have to be useful in some way.. so stop picking on her most redeeming quality... and I'm not talking about her prose.

I Love how she pontificates on how chris will private sector create jobs. (cutting business taxes/regualtions/mandates never mentioned)

when her sugar daddy couldn't create one private sector job for her dead beat brother in law Rocco Riccio.

http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:rWKqoDtVtTQJ:www.nj.com/news/index.s...

Yeah, Karla it's no wonder you haven't a clue how to create private sector jobs when you and everyone around you make a living off of coercing money out of someone else's bank account

I'm surprised you didn't suggest that every unemployed NJ private sector worker sue Corzine for $362,500 for being unable to find them a job, like your steak head brother-in-law did.

What's his next move... staring on "THE JERSEY SHORE?"

If Christie were smart, which I think he is, he would focus on raising revenue by investing in the state agencies which are revenue producing. Corzine had the temerity, and the foolhardiness, to gut agencies that were making the state money. Bottom line is: when you actually take a serious look at the state budget, there isn't alot of fat except maybe for certain political appointees. But let's face it: revenue needs to be raised in other ways because even if you fire bloated state workers, it is a drop in the bucket. Revenue needs to be raised in other ways. Mr. Corzine,sadly, and completely missed that point

Which state agencies are revenue producing? Of course, I mean other than those which raise revenue by sucking the life out of taxpayers!

It will take this to cause changes.

http://www.njtaxes.org/

A grassroots revolt.

Yes, Jerseyred, there is a tax free Santa Claus...the problem is there has been no focus by the prior admin to beef up the agencies that ARE NOT sucking out taxpayer money. I can name several! best, the flyingelephant

I'm sorry - did Carla say something important. With her face buried in Corzine's lap it is tough to hear what she has to say. Maybe if she spent more time with the union members instead of the Governor's member, she would still speak for the unions.

Carla only told part of the story of the kid
going to the playground and picking a fight
with the local bully. Christie's nose was
broken but who lost the fight?

The bully's - the criminals - including Carla
Unions, the corrupt government employees.

Yes the fight with the bully's is just getting
started. I will gladly get my nose broke in that
fight, but the police union slug will loose the fight.

Government entities don't "raise revenue" they consume tax payer's hard earned money. Calling a Governemnt position a "job" is nonsense because it takes many private sector workers to generate tax money to pay one government "person". It is more like welfare. Governemnt that thinks it can "compete" with private sector by using tax dollars is not revenue raising, it is a falsely subsidized illegal enterprise.
Government "workers" are not "tax payers" they are "tax consumers" like welfare. Flyingelephant does not have the capacity to understand the point.

Have you seen the Dept of Investigations report called the Beat Goes On dated December 2009? It's a scathing report documenting the excess and abuse from a study of 75 municipalities across NJ. Hoboken had a police officer who was out for over 111 days and we couldn't get him to come back to work because we gave him unlimited sick time, not doctor's note required. We couldn't fire or discipline him because we gave all of our authority away vis a vis NJs collective bargaining process. Guess who that police officer was? Lt. Andriani who 10 years later was the ring leader of the SWAT bus incident. He is out on leave pending his personnel hearings and this week he was stopped and documented in Tampa for improperly throwing his badge around. This is one example. Not only was Hoboken one of the 75 municipalities in the study, it was highlighted as one of the most egregious.

NJ has the highest property tax IN THE NATION per the taxfoundation.org - an institution tracking taxes naitonwide since 1910. The Tax Organization wrote a piece called NJ-A case study of what not to do.

We also have the highest income taxes in the upper income bands and have the largest exodus of millionaires and businesses. Conclusion: the people who have the ability to pay but don't have a voice are leaving.

NJ had an opportunity to pass legislation to fund stem cell research - the "pill box" of the nation and the peopel voted "no". Pharmaceuticals and medical start ups are leaving NJ for places like Pennsylvania.

We have the highest paid Police and Fire in the NATION. look at the US Bureau of Statistics website. We are well above average. Hoboken's police chief was being paid $216K for a city of 43K that has relatively little crime for an urban environment. Commissioner Kelly of all 5 bureaus of NYC makes $185K. The average police chief nationwide makes $95K. When you add 18% cost of living adjustment which is a typical factor for this area, that comes to $125K wihciis what the NYC borrough chiefs make. Our piddly Hoboken Police Chief make $185K reduced only after state take over and national embarrassment and because as I am sure you know the Chief's contract is outside collective bargaining. Our police chief makes the same as teh commissioner of all of NYC.

Hoboken has the highest cost per student in the entire state and MORE than twice the state average at $320K yest we have some of the worst scores. We need pay for performance. Hoboken's in classroom teachers make below average so where is all the money going? The masses of asses sitting in offices doing nothing.

Last year, the County Executive Superintendent of schools told the now gone Superintendent that the ratio of supervisory spend to in classroom was too high and it had to be changed before the budget went to the Board and the public. You know what he did? He took about 30 administrators and changed their titles to "AV Techs" i.

It was caught in the school audit but that's an infurating waste of taxpayer dollars that puts the needs and wants of employees ahead of the kids.

NYC has had public employees contributing to healthcare premiums for the last 20 years. By not insulating them emplyees care about what the benefit cost and make better selection. Even Obama has criticized insurance companies for pushing Cadillac plans. We have the Cadillac of all Cadillac plans. Last year our cost per employee for healthcare fo the school was $23K per employee. Until most recently, they didn'have to pay anything for perscriptions. We hhad employees getting the perscription form of tylenol because it was free just so they didn't have to pay for the over the counter version.

NYC benchmarks itself against NATIONAL averages normalized for cost of living differences. Their POlice and Fire pay is at the 50 percentile per the US Bureau of statistics normalized for cost of living.

NJs collective bargaining process is killing the state.
state. We can't fund the pensions we've promised and the system doesn't allow for downward total compenstiona adjustments. We have been in this recession really since 2007 and public employees are still get 4 and 5% raises.

You are truly an idiot.

I am not a Republican and this is the way I feel. People want value for their tax contribution at least I do. I want good education so our kids can compete on the world stage. I want access to good healthcare especially when I really need it ie for cancer not when I just have a headache. I wna tI want to see some supply and demand for public jobs and to give management the ability to manage their workforce without the threat of lawsuits and lengthy personnel proceedings that make it impossible to hold employees accountable without further fleecing the public.

Above some comments were made about "an affair with Corzine" and "multi-million dollar whore". Corzine and Katz were both single and they have every right to have a relationship. Where else is a single Governor going to meet someone other than work considering every pubic appearance he is still the Governor and he has security tagging him everywhere he goes?

I think bringing that into this discussion and insinuating that it was somehow wrong by calling it "an affair" dillutes your point. People date. People have sex. Stop being such a puritanical idiot.

Carla, you are still woefully wrong on your opinion about what the paying more for unions, funding bigger and bigger union pension packages and the protectionisms that they have put in place that block them from being held accountable . Because of many of the civil service rules we have left our elected officials and Directors (mayors, directors, etc.) in a position where they have no control over their staff and cannot take switch decisive actions. This is our state and it's a terrible way to run an operation.

At Jersey City's last Council meeting as JC is now going through what Hoboken went through last year ie a precipitous tax increase that screws the individual abut protects the large developer through abatements begooten by contributing to political campaigns, one of the speakers who can't afford to keep her home in JC because of the tax hike, called the Council "Corruptocrats".

Allowing these egregious contract terms that allow unions to fleece the tax payer and protect them from being accountable is a result of NJs Corruptocrats.