Jack Ciattarelli has been on the wrong side of New Jersey workers over his entire career in public office.
Jack Ciattarelli’s Record:
- Voted Against Increasing Minimum Wage [A-15, 5/26/16; ACR168/SCR1, 2/14/13]
- Voted Against Project Labor Agreements [S-2425, 2/14/13]
- Opposed Equal Pay Legislation [A-2650, 3/15/12]
- Voted Against Prevailing Wage Law [A-964, 12/3/15]
- Opposed “Buy American” Requirements for Public Contracts [S-1811, 12/18/14]
Ciattarelli has shown his true colors, and we can’t trust him.
Jack Ciattarelli Voted Against Project Labor Agreements
- Votes Against Project Labor Agreements [S-2425, 2/14/13]
Ciattarelli’s vote against PLAs is a direct attack on the building trades and the wages, benefits, and job security of thousands of skilled New Jersey tradespeople who rely on these agreements to ensure fair hiring, union standards, and safe working conditions.
By siding with corporate interests over working families, Ciattarelli sent a clear message: he favors low-road contractors over New Jersey’s union workforce. His broader record of opposing labor protections shows that workers can’t count on him to protect their livelihoods or prioritize safe, good-paying union jobs. The choice we have in November could not be clearer.
Ciattarelli’s Record: Opposing the Transportation Trust Fund
Another troubling fact of Jack Ciattarelli’s record where he has failed New Jersey working families – his opposition to the Transportation Trust Fund.
Jack Ciattarelli has repeatedly been called out for his resistance to New Jersey’s core transportation investments—undermining the very purpose of the Transportation Trust Fund, which working families rely on for stable jobs and safer roads and transit. His opposition to the Trust Fund isn’t just a policy disagreement — it’s yet another example of a long anti-worker record that puts corporate interests ahead of everyday people.
Ciattarelli stood with Governor Chris Christie in canceling the ARC tunnel project, turning his back on a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create tens of thousands of good-paying jobs for Building and Construction Trades members and expand commuter access. He’s also shown no real commitment to fully funding the Trust Fund in a sustainable way, threatening the long-term health of our state’s infrastructure and the jobs that come with it. Time and again, Jack Ciattarelli has voted against the interests of New Jersey’s working people — and that’s why working families across the state simply can’t trust him. [New Jersey State Legislature, A12, 10/7/16; Patch.com, 11/1/11]
Ciattarelli has shown his true colors, and we can’t trust him. The choice we have in November could not be clearer.
Ciattarelli Opposes Raising New Jersey’s Minimum Wage
More facts on Jack Ciattarelli’s record failing New Jersey workers: his opposition to raising the minimum wage.
Whenever he’s had a chance, Jack Ciattarelli has voted against raising the minimum wages – siding with corporate special interests over the working people who keep New Jersey running. In 2012, Ciattarelli voted against raising the wage to $8.50 and tying it to inflation. A year later, he opposed a constitutional amendment to guarantee a modest $8.25 minimum wage with annual increases – even though voters overwhelmingly approved it. Ciattarelli defended his vote by claiming a higher minimum wage would “hurt businesses” – a tired excuse that ignores the reality faced by working families who can’t afford groceries or rent.
His opposition didn’t stop there. In 2014, Ciattarelli voted against a resolution supporting a $1 raise for thousands of underpaid workers at Newark Airport. In 2016, he opposed a bill to gradually raise the minimum wage to $10.10 with annual cost-of-living adjustments.
Again and again, Ciattarelli has turned his back on workers — fighting against fair wages and economic dignity. He may claim to support the middle class, but his record tells the real story: Jack Ciattarelli is on the wrong side of working people. [A2162, 12/3/12; SCR1, 2/14/13; The Record, 2/22/13; AR99, 3/20/14; A15, 5/26/16].
We can’t trust Jack Ciattarelli.
Ciattarelli is coming for public employees’ pensions and health care
Jack Ciattarelli has made one thing clear: if elected, he’s coming for New Jersey public employees’ pensions and health care
In 2014, Ciattarelli proposed radical changes that would threaten retirement security for thousands of New Jersey state employees — including raising the pension age to 65, capping annual pension payouts at $40,000, and eliminating defined benefit pensions in favor of 401(k)-style plans. He also called for cutting so-called “Cadillac” health care plans for public workers, a move that would shift more costs onto the shoulders of teachers, nurses, and state employees who already sacrificed pay increases in exchange for stable benefits.
In 2016, Ciattarelli proposed ending post-retirement health benefits entirely for new hires and privatizing the pension system – saying new state employees should not receive retiree health care and instead be forced into 401(k)s, which he misleadingly claimed were fairer to young workers.
And just a few years ago, he floated cutting up to 10% of the state workforce, thousands of jobs, and once again called for “reforms” to public worker benefits, especially for new hires. [Star-Ledger, Op-Ed, 6/9/14; Rebovich Institute for NJ Politics, 10/6/16; 77 WABC, 1/23/21]
Ciattarelli has shown his true colors, and we can’t trust him. The choice we have in November could not be clearer.
Jack Ciattarelli: Bad for New Jersey Educators and Public Schools
As kids get ready to go back to school, we are sharing Jack Ciattarelli’s long record of attacks on New Jersey public schools.
For years, Ciattarelli has led the charge to dismantle and defund public education in New Jersey. He’s pushed schemes to siphon taxpayer dollars to wealthy private schools through vouchers, charter expansion, and “educational savings accounts.” He’s attacked fully funded pre-K, calling it “indefensible” when offered to certain districts.
Even in the wake of deadly school shootings, Ciattarelli stood with Chris Christie to vote against requiring panic alarms and exterior emergency lights in schools to protect students and staff. And in February 2025, he embraced Donald Trump’s plan to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education – pledging to slash the New Jersey Department of Education to “a couple dozen people.”
Ciattarelli’s agenda is as extreme as it is dangerous: gut oversight, slash investment in our kids, and shift resources away from working- and middle-class communities. Ciattarelli isn’t fighting for students or teachers, he’s working to pull the rug right out from under them. [2025 NJ GOP Primary Debate, 2/4/25; Press of Atlantic City, 12/31/24; Star-Ledger, 1/11/18; NJ Assembly Republican Caucus Press Release, 5/17/17; NJ State Legislature, A3691, 12/19/13]
Ciattarelli has shown his true colors, and we can’t trust him. The choice we have in November could not be clearer.
Ciattarelli’s Record: Against “Buy American” Requirements
Here is yet another example of Jack Ciatterelli standing with Chris Christie against New Jersey workers.
In December 2014, Ciattarelli voted against legislation that would have strengthened “Buy American” requirements for public contracts in New Jersey. The bill, backed by labor and manufacturing advocates, was intended to ensure that state and local governments prioritize purchasing goods made in the United States, supporting domestic manufacturing jobs and reinvesting public dollars into the local economy. These policies create jobs, protect critical supply chains, and prevent taxpayer money from flowing to low-wage, overseas competitors.
Governor Christie vetoed the bill squandering an opportunity to bolster the state’s manufacturing sector and middle-class workforce. Ciattarelli worked to stop a measure that could have kept more jobs and investment here at home – sending a clear message about where he stands when the choice is between protecting New Jersey workers or favoring a global outsourcing agenda. [S-1811, 12/18/14; CBSNews, 2/6/15]
Ciattarelli has shown his true colors – and we can’t trust him. The choice we have in November could not be clearer.