Gov. Christie Signs Bill Limiting Police and Fire Raises

[BFD389RET 112]

http://newjersey.news12.com/news/gov-christie-signs-bill-to-limit-pay-raises-for-police-firefighters-1.8555730

News 12 New Jersey

Gov. Christie signs bill to limit pay raises for police, firefighters

Originally published: June 24, 2014 5:55 PM
Updated: June 24, 2014 6:52 PM

Christie signed a bill on Tuesday limiting the pay raises fire and police departments can get from local towns. (6/24/14)

TRENTON - Gov. Chris Christie and state Democrats do agree on some things, even during budget season.

Christie signed a bill on Tuesday limiting the pay raises fire and police departments can get from local towns.

Dozens of mayors lent their support, calling it a win-win for first responders and property tax payers.

READ MORE: New Jersey Politics

"We have a backstop that we can negotiate, and we can take care of the interests of the public, take care of their public safety, but at the same time at a fair deal for taxpayers," says Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty.

The new cap expires at the end of 2017.

Edited June 25, 2014 by BFD389RET

[everybodygoes 331]

Fork you fat boy!

[TimesUp 148]

He sucks!

[bad box 371]

Rather then constantly attacking members of the middle class who are employed as firefighters and law enforcement personnel, wouldn't it be refreshing to see elected officials putting an end to corporate welfare?

[SRS131EMTFF 471]

God bless the GOP.

[FirNaTine 370]

God bless the GOP.

Liberal Dems are no better! Look at our illustrious Governor's actions he's taking against Civil Service! He and his Father for that matter!

[antiquefirelt 994]

Since I'm from away, can someone point to the actual limitations Christie signed into? Not that any of us like this type of restriction, but sometimes when you dig into it, it's all fluff with no real substance. I'd like to know just how bad the limitations are?

[AFS1970 504]

I am generally in favor of anything that keeps taxes low, but in reality this just means they will be raised and directed elsewhere.

I find it odd that police and fire contracts were picked for this, yet other municipal contracts were left out.

Now the big question that nobody wants to ask is why raises were so big (if in fact they were?) in NJ? Was it because municipalities take years to negotiate a contract and by the time it gets settled the raises which are generally reasonable per year look really big on paper? Is it because the cities have been steadily cutting benefits and raiding pensions to the point where these raises are offsetting other expenses the employees are now inuring?

Lately it is the fashionable thing to blame unions for the government's mismanagement. Even if the unions bear some of the blame, they certainly do not bear it all.

[lt411 145]

I am unable to get to either of the websites mentioned in the 1st post, so I can't comment on that move by Gov. Christie. BUT, on another great move he made, he refused to pay the required amount into the Fire and Police pension funds this year, saying that NJ didn't have the money. This, after he and the unions signed an agreement several years ago that required the FD/PD ,members to pay more each paycheck into the pension, but also required the state to pay what they were obligated to pay into the fund. Governors in the past never paid in the required amounts, hence the big deficit in the pension fund. Gov Christie backed out of the agreement due to his fiscal mismanagement. He "got his cake and ate it too" (look at the size of him). God forbid he ever gets to be President.

[99subi 121]

He wouldn't be any worse than the clown we have in the white house now.

[Officer Ed 59]

God bless the GOP.

The GOP doesn't claim Christie. He's a RINO and RINOs are closer to Democrats than to Republicans.

[Officer Ed 59]

He wouldn't be any worse than the clown we have in the white house now.

He wouldn't be any worse than the clown we have in the white house now.

You'd be hard-pressed to find ANYONE who would be worse than the clown we have in the Whitehouse now. Maybe Nancy Pelosi........

[SRS131EMTFF 471]

The GOP doesn't claim Christie.

Governor Chris Christie (R_NJ) gives the keynote address at the 2012 Republican National Convention.

Tell me again how the GOP doesn't claim Christie?

[AFS1970 504]

The 2012 convention, that was before he was walking arm in arm with Obama talking about what a great job he was doing right? The media created him as a supposed frontrunner and then set about tearing him down with that stupid bridge story. Based on some of the candidates he supports (He was up here stumping for Linda McMahon) I don't think he is in any party other than the Christie party.

[gamewell45 258]

If you want services, it costs money. If they don't want to pay, they won't have the level of service they expect. It's as plain and simple as that.