And the cutting begins

If you get on a message board and talk about how bad the average school board is

Ugh, we'll if you get on a message board and want to make it a personal issue when the discussion was about overall cuts to the entire state budget, including the biggest line item in it, and point to the fact that your dad is the one good board member as evidence that there is no waste in school budgets, there really is no hope of explaining the problem to you. Watch the Cartel or read 30 years of Abbotts decisions and then compare the results of our ever-increasing school budgets to the product that is turned out, and you will see the evidence that more money does not equate with better outcomes.

JLo wrote:

If you get on a message board and talk about how bad the average school board is

Ugh, we'll if you get on a message board and want to make it a personal issue when the discussion was about overall cuts to the entire state budget, including the biggest line item in it, and point to the fact that your dad is the one good board member as evidence that there is no waste in school budgets, there really is no hope of explaining the problem to you. Watch the Cartel or read 30 years of Abbotts decisions and then compare the results of our ever-increasing school budgets to the product that is turned out, and you will see the evidence that more money does not equate with better outcomes.

My point is certainly someone cannot make an informed comment about "all school boards in NJ" unless this is their job or they have some serious free time on their hands. Speaking about all, or even the majority, when there have to be hundreds of districts in NJ is slandering an entire group of people about which you have no personal knowledge. That's what I call uninformed, my dad's role on a school board notwithstanding. That's not making it personal, that's calling BS on your argument directly related to the topic.

Fact: school budgets have not gone down, remained stable or even increased at something close to the rate of inflation. They have uniformly increased above the inflation rate. Sounds like poor management to me. And clearly, the facts are on the side of the argument that I put forth, which is that school boards do a lousy job in general in this state. You miss the point and worry about the few people that do a good job, based upon your opinion. I worry about the reality of a state with a budget hole 1/3rd the size of its entire budget. I am confident I have focused on the more important side of the argument.

BTW, libel (written defamation as opposed to slander, which is oral) requires specific false statements about an individual, not fgeneral facts or disputed opinions.

I'm not talking about your argument, I am telling you -- and you've admitted as much -- that you are making uninformed statements about an entire group of people based on coincidental data. Also coincidentally, my cost of living over the last few years rose faster than inflation. Would you suggest that I somehow "mismanaged" my PSEG bill, even though my energy usage is about the same? Probably not. This is old, but it mentions some of the ways that actual cost increases can end up higher than inflation.

http://blogs.consumerreports.org/money/ ... rices.html

If you told me you went to a bunch of school boards and said that you wanted them to account for increased costs and they couldn't do it or refused to provide the information, fine, that's one thing... but it sounds like you have none of that information, and have looked at it from the outside and made some conclusions with very few facts. Hence my original description.

PS: yes, thanks for the legal definitions of libel and slander, but I am using the word colloquially.

NJ Transit lays off 200 workers, cuts execs salaries
By Paul Nussbaum

INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

As NJ Transit prepares to raise fares and cut bus and train service, agency officials today said they also will lay off more than 200 workers and cut executives' salaries by 5 percent.

The layoffs of union and non-union workers will reduce the agency's workforce by about 2 percent.

The transit agency also will reduce its contributions to employees' 401-K plans by one-third and freeze spending.

The moves announced today will save about $30 million, officials said. NJ Transit faces a deficit of about $300 million by June, 2011.

Details on fare hikes and service cuts will be announced next week, and public hearings will be held in late March, officials said.

The budget-cutting at NJ Transit is part of a broader push by Gov. Christie to reduce state spending, as his new administration grapples with a budget deficit of $2.2 billion this fiscal year and as much as $11 billion in the fiscal year that begins July 1.

The five-percent cut in executive pay means the annual salary of new executive director James Weinstein will be reduced to $248,257.80 on July 1, down from the current $261,324.

Currently, NJ Transit contributes three percent of employees' salaries to their 401-K retirement plans. That will be reduced to two percent.

It was unclear how many of the job losses would come from union ranks. The agency has more than 11,000 workers, including nearly 10,000 union employees.

The agency has cut the non-union ranks by 240 jobs since 2007, said NJ Transit spokeswoman Penny Bassett Hackett. She said there were no reductions in union jobs in that time.

Democratic legislative leaders have criticized the planned fare increases and service cuts at NJ Transit as unfair because motorists are not being asked to pay more.

"A fare increase from Gov. Christie, after all, is no different from a tax increase," Assembly Transportation Committee chairman John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex) said recently. "This is actually a double-hit, because commuters will pay more for less service."

rider65 wrote:NJ Transit lays off 200 workers, cuts execs salaries

The transit agency also will reduce its contributions to employees' 401-K plans by one-third and freeze spending.

The moves announced today will save about $30 million, officials said. NJ Transit faces a deficit of about $300 million by June, 2011.

The five-percent cut in executive pay means the annual salary of new executive director James Weinstein will be reduced to $248,257.80 on July 1, down from the current $261,324.

Currently, NJ Transit contributes three percent of employees' salaries to their 401-K retirement plans. That will be reduced to two percent.

It was unclear how many of the job losses would come from union ranks. The agency has more than 11,000 workers, including nearly 10,000 union employees.

The agency has cut the non-union ranks by 240 jobs since 2007, said NJ Transit spokeswoman Penny Bassett Hackett. She said there were no reductions in union jobs in that time.

"A fare increase from Gov. Christie, after all, is no different from a tax increase," Assembly Transportation Committee chairman John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex) said recently. "This is actually a double-hit, because commuters will pay more for less service."

No offense to anyone here, but I think the executive director annual salary - After canning the 10,000, slap another 150,000 at least off of that salary. If we can't earn 98,000 commonly, he shouldn't be getting 248,000. That is a waste of our limited taxpayer money. Director or not, he doesn't need 248,000 dollars.

We knew this was coming.

I heard from someone on another forum that is currently in the LETP program that they'll supposedly be cutting jobs from the top (as in beginning with guys with more seniority) down. This actually makes sense, since they'd have to pay the older guys more.
Don't know how much truth there is to that, though. Just a rumor I heard.

I still don't understand how it goes to 200 million next year. I mean that is quite a leap and seems like its something that will cripple the agency,you can't your way out a 200 million shortfall. So something is missing. And if we are cutting the agency out 200 million in 2010 then stop building a new tunnel into NYC. None of this adds up nor makes sense sorry. JC

ns3010 wrote:We knew this was coming.
I heard from someone on another forum that is currently in the LETP program that they'll supposedly be cutting jobs from the top (as in beginning with guys with more seniority) down. This actually makes sense, since they'd have to pay the older guys more.
Don't know how much truth there is to that, though. Just a rumor I heard.

Don't hold your breath, it normally works the other way around. Sure they may chop up some big jobs, but I wouldn't hold my breath of that being the saving grace.
Last time about 5 years ago this type of thing happened, the classes that were in LETP were the first ones furloughed.
I would not want to be in LETP or ACTP class now, thats for sure.

It's a good think I'm not in LETP then! Oh, wait..... yes I am.

Just one month from promotion. It's a race to the finish.

haamster wrote:It's a good think I'm not in LETP then! Oh, wait..... yes I am.

Just one month from promotion. It's a race to the finish.

there are a lot of factors in your favor though, and even if there are layoffs from LETP, I don't think they will last too long, because there are a handful of retirements this year, and possible Hours of Service rule changes in the coming years, they are going to be chasing their tails, like the freight guys were when they went into effect for them in 2009.

They really shot themselves in the foot with the 2003 furloughs of LETP students. They ended up being very short of engineers 2 and 3 and 4 years later. (which was when those students were were furloughed ended up coming back and finally getting promoted after some refreshing.)

Roadgeek Adam wrote:
No offense to anyone here, but I think the executive director annual salary - After canning the 10,000, slap another 150,000 at least off of that salary. If we can't earn 98,000 commonly, he shouldn't be getting 248,000. That is a waste of our limited taxpayer money. Director or not, he doesn't need 248,000 dollars.

Agreed. Wow, a salary cut from $261,000 to $248,200, what a sacrifice!

"Details on fare hikes and service cuts will be announced next week, and public hearings will be held in late March, officials said."

Glade I just moved from NJ to PA, cut my property taxes in 1/2, and my car insurance by $ 500. Senior train fare from Haverford to Center City (or on any SEPTA train trip in PA) is only 85 cents with trains running every 1/2 hour downtown (with no delays stuck in a tunnel.) NO state tax on retirement income. Four bus routes at my door, one is a one seat ride to the Philly airport (# 115), 2 routes to the "High Speed Line" (# 115 & 106), and 3 routes to 69th St. (# 103, 105, & 106.) Senior fare on all city and surburban busses, trolleys, and subways is $ 0.00 (all seniors get a free pass.)

Jtgshu wrote: there are a lot of factors in your favor though, and even if there are layoffs from LETP, I don't think they will last too long, because there are a handful of retirements this year, and possible Hours of Service rule changes in the coming years, they are going to be chasing their tails, like the freight guys were when they went into effect for them in 2009.

They really shot themselves in the foot with the 2003 furloughs of LETP students. They ended up being very short of engineers 2 and 3 and 4 years later. (which was when those students were were furloughed ended up coming back and finally getting promoted after some refreshing.)

Funny, but these are the same points I made to a classmate who called me up worried when this was all just rumor.

I'm not very worried about it. I've been through 2 furloughs before with 2 different airlines, they can't scare me with another one here. However, it would be nice to get certified first. I'd hate to have gone through 18 months of stress and tedium for naught.

If they cut service on the ACL anymore, we'll only have trains running in one direction, or none at all