No Compromise is the Right Compromise for Unused Sick Time

So by now I am sure that you have had a chance to take a peek at just how much of your property tax money is on the hook for unused sick time in your home town. It reaches levels of over $825 million across the state, and its more than $1 million alone where I live, and that is considered on the low end!

The Democrats seem to have one thing in mind when tackling this issue that Governor Christie has brought to the forefront of the discourse. They want to appease public sector unions and keep the ability to bargain for this windfall on the table. Fortunately Christie is standing firm. There will be no compromise coming from the Governor’s office. First he vetoed a plan that would cap payouts at $15,000 windfalls upon retirement. The Democrats then went back to the drawing board and pulled out a $7,500 cap, showing an obvious weakness in their zero-principle stance. Meeting Christie half way simply does not cut it if they want this bill signed. If we continue on this trend, maybe we can next get a $3,250 cap, and then a $1,125 one, and then…well after that it almost doesn’t seem worth it does it?

In this instance, the Governor is right and the Dems are just flat out wrong. When people start a job and are told they will be making say, $50,000 this year (or $961.53 per week), in what universe should that ever mean that you come home with $50,961.53 if you stayed healthy and showed up at work on all of the days you were supposed to? That sick time allotment is not extra money the business has laying around that they want to throw at you, it’s a commitment to compensate you up to your normal salary (up to a certain point) in the unfortunate event that you are simply too ill to be at work. And then the idea that these unused days are some sort of commodity to be banked and cashed in when they reach a desired value is even more bizarre. I remember back in high school when certain teachers would actually brag to us students about how many sick days they had waiting, and how great it would be to take that big payout when they leave. It made no sense to me when I was sixteen, and it makes no sense now. Thankfully we finally have people in power who will say so.

At the end of the day, the Democrats know its wrong too. Just like with pension reform, they have to make it appear as though the are going to the mat for the unions before they do what they know is right. This will ultimately be another example of Governor Christie being on the side of the taxpayers and getting exactly what he wants, to our benefit in the long run. A compromise between keeping up this bizarre practice and putting forth a fiscally responsible policy to lower property taxes is like a compromise between poison and food. It just never ends well. In this case, no compromise is the right compromise.

Brian McGovern
About Brian McGovern 748 Articles
Brian McGovern wears many hats these days including Voorhees Township GOP Municipal Chairman, South Jersey attorney, and co-owner of the Republican campaign consulting firm Exit 3 Strategies, Inc.