Communications Workers of America is asking its 40,000 state employee members to accept higher dues to pay for advertising campaigns that would push back against Gov. Chris Christie and other critics.

Matt Friedman at NJ.com

TRENTON — Leaders of the state’s largest state workers union say unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures.

Facing a hostile governor, a bad economy, and the very real prospect of layoffs next year, the Communications Workers of America is asking its 40,000 state employee members to accept higher dues to pay for advertising campaigns that would push back against Gov. Chris Christie and other critics.

“We’ve never really had this broad and direct an attack before,” said CWA Area Director Hetty Rosenstein. “We have in 30 years never raised our dues. We never had as great a need.”

Under the proposal, members would raise their dues one-tenth of one percent (to 1.25 percent of their salary) for a fund that would collect about $2 million a year for ads touting the importance of state workers.

The fund would be similar to one the New Jersey Education Association teachers union set up in the 1990s to tout public school teachers’ accomplishments. The union says its PRIDE in Public Education campaign highlighting public schools’ successes includes $5 million in advertising for the year.

FULL STORY

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