Christie vows to stop paying N.J. public workers for unused sick time

Gov. Chris Christie has resumed his push to eliminate cash payouts to government workers in New Jersey for their unused sick time benefits.

 

Christie says he understands why employees who are sick get paid time off to recover, but they shouldn’t get large sums at the end of their careers in exchange for the sick leave they did not use.

Nearly a billion dollars in those payouts are pending now, he said Tuesday.

“A billion of our tax money to go to people who, by the way, have good salaries already, have guaranteed pensions and health care for life that we pay for. On top of that we got to pay them for not having been sick,” said Christie. “Crazy.”

Christie, who says some towns have had to borrow money to cover six-figure payouts, said he will again call for the Legislature to eliminate the payouts.

The governor accused lawmakers of failing to act on his proposal because some are beholden to public employee unions who give them campaign contributions.

“Now I get it, and the people of this state get it, and it’s a group of legislators in Trenton who have their hands out all the time for campaign contributions from these public sector unions and for their endorsements,” he said.