Christie’s Roadwork Shutdown Is Costing Our Jobs: NJ Construction Workers

JERSEY CITY, NJ — Governor Chris Christie’s shutdown of the state’s Transportation Trust Fund (TTF) last month has cost more than 1,000 construction and transportation workers their jobs, some officials say.

When Christie ordered a stop to all projects funded by the TTF on July 8, more than 900 construction projects across the state were put on indefinite hiatus, including 21 in Hudson County, Executive Director of the New Jersey Association of Counties John Donnadio stated.

The shutdown was reportedly taken in response to NJ Senate Democrats’ refusal to vote in favor of a 23-cent gas tax hike, and stopped any work “not considered absolutely essential.”

• See related article: Christie Freezes Roadwork After Gas Tax Hike Delayed
• See related article: N.J. To Shut Down Dozens Of Road, Train Projects In Hoboken And Hudson County

Now, more than a month after the shutdown, members of the Laborers' International Union of North America have launched a series of protests in criticism of Christie’s decision.

On Tuesday, dozens of union members rallied outside state Sen. Sandra Cunningham's office in Jersey City, calling for legislators to restart the TTF funding and get them back to work. Similar protests have been held in Fair Lawn, Teaneck, Northfield, Cape May and Paterson.

• See related article: Unemployed Construction Workers To Protest At Bergen Senate Offices Monday

"The workers’ message: Take immediate action to fix the fund, and re-start the hundreds of jobs that have been shutdown due to a political impasse," said Rob Lewandowski, a member of the Laborers’ International Union of North America.

Ciro Scalera, government affairs director of the Laborers' International Union of North America, told NJ.com that in addition to their salaries, the workers risk losing pension credits and health benefits if they don’t log 1,000 hours for the year.

"We want the senators to understand that if this continues over the next two weeks or four weeks, the impact it is going to have on our members is catastrophic," Roger Ellis, a lobbyist for the Heavy and General Construction Laborers Local 472, told NJ.com.

File Photo: Dan DeLuca, Flickr Commons

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