Talk about Orwellian. Gov. Jon S. Corzine comes to the New Brunswick campus to sympathize with workers who want to unionize. And yet, it is the $66 million Corzine personally insisted be cut from the Rutgers budget that is causing University employees - and students! - angst. His logic also is delusional. More union employees will result in increased tuition for Rutgers students, and that is plain, despite Corzine's posturing to the contrary. Corzine and his Trenton pals are signaling, at best, the Rutgers budget will be frozen this Spring, and - with already contracted pay increases on the books - this will mean more tuition hikes, more staffing cuts and more angst at Rutgers. For what? So Corzine can continue his shameless hussy pursuit of union votes?
One point to tweak in yesterday's article, "Gov. supports U. neutrality toward unions," on Corzine's appearance - your reporter relates an incident where a University employee, Brett Butterline, learns his position has been cut. As the reporter writes, "His layoff will be effective as of February, only 10 months before he was supposed to retire."
Not exactly true. Butterline is 44 years old - per The Star Ledger and ZabaSearch on the Internet. I believe the correct phrase would be his retirement benefits would have "vested." Either way, Butterline's fate is unkind. But the full blame belongs on Corzine, not on the University. It is Corzine's budget slashing that brings pain to Butterline and the whole University community.
Robert McGarvey is a Rutgers College Class of 1970 alumnus.
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