Collective Bargaining Debate Hits New Jersey
When Republican Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker threatened the collective bargaining rights of Wisconsin’s public sector employees earlier this year, large scale protests assembled almost overnight as the eyes of the world descended on the Badger State. It was déjà vu in the Garden State last week, when the New Jersey State Senate approved a bill which would radically change the health care, pensions and bargaining rights of over 500,000 public sector employees. Just a decade ago, a move against pensions would be political suicide. So why are voters and lawmakers changing their state budget tactics now? For the answer we speak with Bob Hennelly, senior political reporter for WNYC, and Roger Lowenstein, contributing writer to The New York Times Magazine and author of “The End of Wall Street.”
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