We need to take action NOW.In the final days of Fiscal Year 2026 budget negotiations for the state, Governor Murphy and the NJ State Legislature are trying to shift $100 million in healthcare costs onto us —breaking our contract and trying to balance the budget on our backs.
This is unacceptable.
On June 4 thousands of CWA members working in State and Local Government public sector positions braved the soaring heat to turn out for a massive rally at the New Jersey State House Annex in Trenton to deliver a message to state lawmakers: we need action NOW to stop and contain healthcare costs for New Jersey’s public sector workforce!
Since 2022, healthcare premiums for State workers have increased by 40% while local government workers have seen a 59% compounded increase. At the bargaining table, CWA has worked to protect members from the full impact of these increases, but we need legislative action to contain costs for State workers, gain parity for Local Government workers, and make New Jersey more affordable for all.
CWA members were joined by a coalition of other unions including the New Jersey State AFL-CIO, AFSCME NJ, AAUP-AFT, AFT New Jersey, The Council of New Jersey State Colleges, URA-AFT, HPAE, IFPTE, as well as NJ State Assemblymembers Cody Miller and Verlina Reynolds-Jackson at the rally, filling the Annex square and speaking about the growing crisis of affordability for working families in New Jersey
“I have something to say to this state and to this country,” said Billy Gallagher, CWA District 1 Assistant to the Vice President, addressing the massive crowd. “Anyone who thinks unions are going away, take a picture of today, ‘cause we’re not going away! We’re fighting for our rights, and we’re gonna keep fighting!”
Take our survey on healthcare costs today!
Save the date – June 4th, 2025 for a healthcare rally in Trenton
The April 2025 issue of the monthly CWA Healthcare Ombudsperson newsletter is now available.
You can read it, as well as other back issues at https://www.cwa1031.org/members/health/newsletter :
Register Here to Join the Call!
We don’t take this warning lightly, but unions are under attack like never before. After busting the TSA union earlier this month, this administration unilaterally and illegally ripped up the collective bargaining agreements of almost 1 million Federal Workers last week. This means that over a million union workers woke up to the news that they no longer have a union contract and no longer have dues deduction. This is an unprecedented attack on all workers.
We expect this is just the beginning. Corporate America and anti-union elected officials will likely now test the limits and attempt to go further by weakening collective bargaining and organizing rights for all of us.
But we can fight back, and we can win.
Please join us for an emergency Town Hall Call this Wednesday, April 2nd at 7 pm EST.
On the call, we will talk about what we can do right now to fight back, and we’ll be joined by a member of the Federal Union Network (FUN) who will discuss the next steps. Get out your walking shoes, it’s time to hit the streets in record numbers.
CWA members know: An Injury To One Is An Injury to All. When they come after our Federal workers and their unions, they come after us too.