SCI Reports on Public Pay for Union Work

The New Jersey State Commission of Investigation (SCI) issued a report last week that criticized public sector contracts that allowed union representatives to conduct union business at government expense.

Some union officials have been on paid leave for years or even decades while holding government job titles but doing no government work, the SCI report said. In some cases, union officials receive additional payment in the form of attendance stipends or overtime at taxpayer expense, while in others cases taxpayers pick up the tab for cars, office space, computers and equipment used for union business.

The SCI report focused on government-paid leave for public employees who are union officials in school districts, municipalities, counties, and departments of state government.

The commission's report made several recommendations, including:

• Taxpayer-funded union leave should be eliminated or substantially curtailed
• Uniform statutory rules should be established for granting of any union leave
• Public disclosure and transparency should be enhanced
• All recipients of full-time paid union leave should provide immediate proper notice to appropriate government agencies.

The SCI has posted the full report, "The Taxpayers Cost of Compensation and Benefits for Public-Employee Union Leave," on its website.