Militant Action Can Bust Christie’s attacks on Public-Sector Workers

Without a doubt, 2010 is going to be a watershed year for the state of New Jersey, and with the dreaded ‘naughts finally over, its citizens will look forward both toward a new decade and, consequently, a new leadership. The recently-elected governor, Republican Chris Christie, certainly has his work cut out for him: by most estimates the state budget deficit is some $9.5 billion and growing. With state funds all but dried up, municipalities are struggling to pay for even the most basic of services, and all but the most essential programs are being put on the chopping block. Everyone, from data entry clerks to mental health counselors, emergency medical technicians to librarians, are wringing their hands, nervously wondering if their “non-essential” jobs will be next to get the ax.

During the height of the election, it was clear New Jersey voters were fed up with the fiscal policies of the Democratic administration of Jon Corzine – a former Goldman Sachs executive. Property taxes continued to rise with little to show in terms of deficit relief or continued social-program funding. Political corruption, already an entrenched practice in New Jersey, ran rampant, and political appointees with sinecures and six-figure salaries were comfortably nestled in every corner of state government.

As the campaign season wound up, Christie steadfastly billed himself as the “not Corzine” candidate. Despite having no managerial experience in fiscal matters as a former district attorney with a reputation for being tough on corruption, it was somewhat of a surprise when Christie won the election, running on an anti-gay marriage, anti-labor, anti-drug law reform ticket in a historically “blue” state.

Christie’s campaign is the most recent manifestation of all the anti-union rhetoric that’s been buzzing about lately. It has become quite fashionable to look to public employees as one of the main causes for New Jersey’s budgetary woes, despite a lack of supporting evidence to claim so. The unionized public-sector workers were not responsible for causing the economic crisis. Like most of the working public, they were, and remain to this day, the greatest victims of it.

The largest union, the Communication Workers of America (CWA), represents over 50,000 public and private employees in New Jersey alone and remains one of the strongest bastions of unionism in the state. It is a major political force in New Jersey politics, consistently backing the Democratic Party, even when it runs contrary to the interests of its membership. Christie, true to his Republican stripes, served to stir up negative sentiments toward the CWA via a series of interviews on talk-radio during the run up to the election, criticizing the union as a burden on taxpayers while providing little to no benefit to the public. New Jersey voters, already battered from the triple assault of increased taxes, high-unemployment, and political incompetence, are beginning to take his message to heart.

In the summer of 2009, then governor Corzine met with CWA representatives to hammer out a new contract. As union negotiators demanded a modest 3.5% wage increase, debate between the two parties grew heated. Finally, under the threat of layoff for 7,000 workers, the union agreed to a contract that stipulated employees would be subject to 10 furlough (unpaid) days in the budget year starting July 1 along with a wage freeze and some “bankable” paid personal days that workers could take in the future. The projected cost-savings to the state was estimated at $300 million over the course of the next fiscal year. In exchange, Corzine gave his pledge that the possibility of layoffs would be “off the table” until December 2010 at the earliest. At the same time, Christie lambasted Corzine for being “weak” in dealing with the union, suggesting the state should not have given into their demands during a time of economic crisis.

Now that Christie has won the election, many are wondering if he will keep true to his campaign promises (or more appropriately threats). On several occasions, he has gone as far to say that since the “no-layoff” pledge was given by his predecessor, he is not bound necessarily by its terms. More alarmingly, some voices in the media have speculated that Christie may declare a state of financial emergency—the fiscal equivalent of martial law—that will give him carte blanche to balance the budget at any cost, including massive program cuts and public employee layoffs en masse.

In light of the hostile aims of the new Christie administration, the goal of all union members and working-class fighters is clear: to actively oppose all service cuts, layoffs, and benefits reductions. The current union leadership of the CWA must perform its required task of representing its constituents by organizing and participating in such actions – strikes and workplace occupations – to halt Christie’s attacks.

If the current leaders of the CWA refuse to mobilize the rank-and-file membership for such and other similar actions, then must be replaced by those who can carry on effective defensive and offensive actions: where representatives chosen directly in mass assemblies in which the working membership can decide openly and democratically who should lead them in the fight.

By taking strike action and instigating workplace occupations against Christie’s attacks, the workers can be victorious, and such actions could be popularized across America, spreading invariably like wildfire. It could ignite class-wide resistance to mass unemployment, home repossessions, wage and pension freezes. Such resistance is needed now more than ever, and it all starts with the organizations of workers.