“Unions are the problem.” These were the words that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie used in response to a question posed by a teacher at a recent town hall meeting. The governor has clearly taken a page out of the union-busting playbook by trying to brand the union as a self-interested third party, but the teacher sensibly corrected the governor, stating that “teachers are the union.”
Christie’s egregious statement should alarm every sector of the labor movement, since he has essentially called unionism a problem in New Jersey. This only reinforces the fact that if Christie gains any more political power, there would be little to stop his all-out anti-labor agenda. A governor who views unions as the problem would not hesitate to pass so-called right to work for less laws, eliminate project labor agreements and prevailing wage laws and further chip away at collective bargaining rights.
The governor’s statement should immediately dispel any myth that he is a moderate politician. With only a handful of words, Christie made it clear that he has no respect for the labor movement and the workers who make up the union. For the governor to make this anti-labor statement, in a state that was built by hardworking union men and women, is simply outrageous. The governor’s message is one that every union member and union family in New Jersey needs to hear, and a position for which the governor must be held accountable.
CLICK HERE for a story from the Star-Ledger covering Christie’s anti-union remarks at his town hall meeting.