Sunlight Policy Center Release

New Jersey’s Special-Interest-Dominated Status Quo is NJEA’s Status Quo.
Follow the NJEA’S Hundreds of Millions of Dollars Yourself – Their Return on Investment is Clear….and business is booming!

Since its launch, the Sunlight Policy Center of New Jersey has revealed how the NJEA constructed a system that automatically and annually generates tens of millions of property tax dollars— presently $129 million—funneled directly into its coffers. We uncovered how it spends far more of these tax dollars on political action than is reported – currently about $65 million a year. We shined a light on $2.5 million of these dollars secretly funding allies of the governor to push their shared agenda.

As always, every fact is sourced and footnoted.

This week, we address one of the biggest questions we have received from our readers –
WHAT DOES THE NJEA ACTUALLY GET FROM ALL THIS POLITICAL SPENDING?

In our fourth report, “Money Equals Power: How the NJEA Dominates New Jersey Politics,” we detail how this kind of money has bought tremendous legislative successes… “wins” that have benefited the NJEA but not our citizens:

·  In 2001, in a brazen raid on pension assets, the NJEA pushed for and gained a 9 percent increase in pension benefits even though the pension fund’s assets were severely depleted by the stock market crash.

·   Just last spring, the legislature passed the Workplace Democracy Enhancement Act, a very NJEA-friendly law that effectively circumvents the U.S. Supreme Court’s Janus decision.  Good for the NJEA, not so good for teachers.

·   The NJEA has blocked a series of needed reform initiatives: a 2005 Constitutional Convention to address property taxes, a 2005 benefits review task force, and a 2006 special legislative session to address rising benefit costs and taxes, among others.

…. The list goes on. Read SPCNJ’s latest report to see what happens when the NJEA decides to flex its political muscles.

So what does NJEA’s millions in support of Governor Murphy get them?

Well, the governor has appointed NJEA members to key positions in his administration. He has openly supported the NJEA’s legislative agenda and budget priorities.  And most recently he has appeared in NJEA-funded ads, calling for NJEA-backed policies in the same language the NJEA uses.
The SPCNJ’s purpose is to shine a light on these facts and empower New Jersey citizens with the truth about the unmatched political power of the NJEA.

These are the facts. Every statement is factual and sourced.