Today’s award is shared by Assembly members Nelson Albano, Ruben J. Ramos, Jr., Patrick J. Diegnan, Jr., and Celeste M. Riley, who just put out a press release celebrating the approval of Assembly bill A-2772. This legislation would require that whenever local unions agree to a wage or benefit concession then that money must be used to hire back any laid-off staff. The vote wasn’t even close: 67-9. (Perhaps the magnanimous gesture would have been to award this honor to the entire Assembly.)

In other words, if a school district decides that its students would benefit more from an investment in, say, technology for the classroom and therefore reduces a staff member or two, and if the local association agrees to take a lower salary or contribute more to benefits (does that include state-mandated contributions?) then the district must use any economies realized by that agreement to hire back those staff members deemed unnecessary by the district.

Way to go, guys!

*Award from NJ Left Behind in honor of Mr. Glenn Beck of Fox News whom Jon Stewart describes as “a guy who says what people who aren’t thinking are thinking.”