Toll collectors' suit against N.J. Turnpike Authority is dismissed (Christie trying to privatize)

[DainBramaged]

New Jersey Turnpike Authority toll collectors have lost a legal maneuver in their fight against privatization.

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by their union that sought to block having a private company operate the tolls unless the workers had the "right of first refusal" to apply for the privatized jobs.

The Asbury Park Press reports the lawsuit claimed the collectors' First Amendment rights were violated.

The agency said the union discouraged some companies from seeking the contract when it spoke out against privatization and when workers sent job applications to bidders.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/04/toll_collectors_suit_against_n.html


The Turnpike Authority (now controlled by RePUKES) wanted $34 million in concessions to prevent privatization. They got the concession from the Union, but now they STILL want to privatize toll collection.

Fucking thugs.

Assembly Transportation, Public Works and Independent Authorities Committee Chairman John S. Wisniewski (D-Middlesex) issued the following statement Wednesday after news reports detailed that it appeared the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) was going ahead with a plan to privatize toll collection despite significant concessions offered the agency by toll collectors:

"Republicans have not had the greatest record when it comes to marrying privatization to New Jersey transportation services. The E-ZPass and the Parsons inspection contracts are proof of that.

"Drivers should be concerned that the Turnpike Authority Chairman Simpson has been doggedly pursuing a plan to privatize toll collectors on the Parkway and Turnpike, despite an offer of significant concessions on the part of the toll workers.

"Equally concerning is the fact that the current privatization plan does not include a 'right of first refusal' provision that would offer current toll workers first crack at toll collection jobs, should they become privatized.

"It's so disappointing that the Christie administration isn't giving more serious attention to the significant concessions the toll workers have offered to save money while still safely operating our toll roads.

"At the end of the day, the Christie administration seems to be more interested in pushing privatization for its own sake than ensuring our transportation infrastructure works well and middle-class workers aren't forced out of their jobs and onto the unemployment lines."

http://www.politickernj.com/46819/wisniewski-turnpike-authoritys-push-privatize-toll-collection-face-workers-concessions-bafflin

When you were a kid, did you dream about becoming a toll collector when you grew up?

Yeah ... didn't think so.

Whatever your feelings are about the state budget crisis, no matter what you think about the "greed" of public employees, no matter how cushy you think people who are paid with tax dollars or toll revenue have it - can we at least agree that toll collectors on the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway are not quite at the top of the public-employee heap?

Yeah, the top of the pay scale is approximately $65,700 a year - to do a grimy, deathly boring job.

Gov. Chris Christie wants the New Jersey Turnpike Authority to privatize these jobs, and the authority is now reviewing proposals from private, for-profit firms to take over toll collection on the two roads. We have our doubts about privatization - somehow the projected savings often don't seem to materialize.

But that isn't our point today. We'll assume, for the sake of this argument, that the Turnpike Authority's privatization plan is a legitimate, worthwhile attempt to cut costs. But ask yourself this: Should the private firm that takes over toll collection be required to give the current toll collectors the "right of first refusal" for the privatized jobs? That is, should the private firm be required to offer its jobs to the laid-off toll collectors first?

It certainly seems so to us. What's the downside? If they are willing to do the job for the lower salaries the private firm will pay, why not hire them? They already know how to do the job.

But the Turnpike Authority removed a provision from the request for proposals requiring the firms to offer jobs to the laid-off toll collectors. The union has filed a federal lawsuit saying the Turnpike Authority vindictively removed the requirement because of the union's outspoken opposition to the privatization plan.

http://ifpte194.org/article.php?id_article=224

[Rageneau]

1. I don't understand the need for NJ toll collectors anyway

As I understand it, the tolls on most of New Jersey expressways were supposed to be temporary -- until the highway was paid for. But they've continued for decades afterward. Today, it seems to me that a huge part of the revenue from the ubiquitous NJ toll booths must go for little except for paying the salaries and benefits of NJ toll collectors.

Is the revenue from these tolls really needed?

If so, why not make better use of that money (and save the taxpayer much unnecessary expense), by replacing human toll-takers with automated ones (for which the technology has long existed)? Wouldn't fewer and lower tolls be a good thing for citizens as a whole?

If that revenue is NOT needed, then why perpetuate a expensive 'busywork' system that only benefits the toll-taker community?

I don't want to depress wages or bust unions. But neither do I want to continue a wasteful (not to mention extraordinarily irritating) system that only exists because it's gotten itself entrenched into the NJ psyche.

I don't live in New Jersey, but I visit there from time to time and when I do, the thoughts above inevitably occur to me.

[DainBramaged]

3. Maintenance is HUGE it is a MAJOR truck artery

And know what, not for nothing, they do a shitty job no one wants, in zero degree and 105 degree weather, and it's really condescending on your part to excoriate the toll collectors as if they have meaningless jobs, and they are AFL-CIO jobs too.

It's unfortunate that those who claim Progressive credentials would be so condescending.

[krispos42]

2. Get rid of the dam tollbooths instead. Problem solved. n/t