The New Jersey State AFL-CIO mourns the passing of Hal Bozarth, executive director of the Chemistry Council of New Jersey and colleague of many of our trade unionists.

For more than 30 years, Hal was the voice of the state’s chemical industry as head of one of the country’s leading state trade associations.

New Jersey State AFL-CIO President Charles Wowkanech issued the following statement on the bipartisan, long-term funding plans for the Transportation Trust Fund announced Friday:

“The New Jersey State AFL-CIO has been working for many years with leadership of both houses of the Legislature, our building and construction trade unions, transit unions, coalition partners and stakeholders to advance a long-term solution to funding our state’s transportation and infrastructure needs. Today, we are pleased to finally see progress being made on long-term transportation funding.”

“On behalf of one million working men and women and their families who live and work in our state, we urge the governor to engage in a substantive discussion on these proposals immediately and to take action as soon as possible to replenish the Transportation Trust Fund.”

“Our infrastructure is a key driver of our economic prosperity, and is vital to creating family sustaining jobs and a good quality of life for our residents. The citizens of this state have been in limbo for too long on how our roads, rails and bridges are going to be paid for – it’s time for a bipartisan solution to be enacted.”

UNITE HERE Local 54 has reached an agreement with Welcome Hotel Group LLC, owners of Trenton’s Wyndham Garden Hotel, after more than a year of contentious negotiations.

Hotel workers recently ratified the first-time contract. Additionally, all outstanding unfair labor practice charges have been settled.

A resolution that would benefit working families moved forward on Monday, due to the advocacy of the New Jersey State AFL-CIO and our dedicated affiliates.

The Assembly Judiciary Committee advanced resolution ACR-109, which asks voters to amend the Constitution to require the state to make its required pension payments on a quarterly basis. If the full Assembly votes for the measure and the Senate approves a similar resolution (SCR-2), voters would decide this November whether the state must live up to its pension obligation for nearly 800,000 active and retired public workers.

More than 100 volunteers representing 16 local unions conducted a 100 percent paperless labor walk on Saturday morning, June 4.

The walk brought out all sectors of the labor movement, who showed their support for union brother Anthony Verrelli, a member of United Brotherhood of Carpenters Local 254, who is running for Mercer County Freeholder. The New Jersey State AFL-CIO’s Committee on Political Education (COPE) organized the walk in partnership with the Mercer County Central Labor Council.

Brother Verrelli’s Primary Election is tomorrow, Tuesday, June 7. Polls will be open from 6:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.

Tentative Settlement Is Testament to the Power of Collective Bargaining

Our brothers and sisters at Verizon are set to return to work on Wednesday after a six-week strike over jobs and wages that was resolved with a commitment for 1,300 new U.S. call center jobs and pay raises totaling 10.9 percent over four years.

The New Jersey State AFL-CIO is very proud of the strength shown by the strikers and the solidarity demonstrated by our brothers and sisters in the labor movement. Every sector pitched in to show their support in ways large and small – by joining a picket line, donating to the IBEW and CWA strike funds, adopting a store, paying their phone bill by mail rather than online and bringing coffee and donuts to our brothers and sisters on the line.

The New Jersey State AFL-CIO joins with our affiliates and community partners this Memorial Day in honoring the servicemen and women who gave their lives for our freedom. These American heroes will always be in our thoughts and prayers.

We also salute men and women who served, or are currently serving, our country. We are so grateful for their sacrifices and bravery.

With the strong backing of labor, the New Jersey Assembly voted Thursday to increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour within five years.

New Jersey State AFL-CIO along with its affiliates and community partners have led the fight to raise the minimum wage on behalf of workers struggling to make ends meet while working a full-time job. A $15 minimum wage will help uplift all workers in this high-cost state and will stimulate the economy by giving those at the bottom of the economic ladder more money to spend on groceries and clothing.

We thank the legislators who sponsored the bill in the Assembly – Speaker Vincent Prieto and Assemblymen John Wisniewski and Gary Schaer – and the members of the Assembly who supported working families by voting for the bill.