Today in Trenton, the voice of New Jersey’s working families was heard loud and clear. New Jersey State AFL-CIO President Charles Wowkanech and Secretary-Treasurer Laurel Brennan joined with Senate President Stephen Sweeney and labor officials to announce a vitally important “Buy America” initiative that would create much needed jobs in New Jersey.
“It’s a simple equation: made in America equals Jersey jobs,” stated President Wowkanech. “The bills we are discussing today get serious about manufacturing jobs and takes a significant step forward to ensure that domestic manufacturers can compete on a level playing field with our foreign competitors.”
While there has been much talk about job creation in our state, there has been little action. The New Jersey State AFL-CIO will not allow this issue to get swept under the carpet, and we are committed to working with all stakeholders to produce results.
A-1952 Advances to Rein in Out-of-Network Charges
The Assembly Appropriations Committee approved A-1952 with bipartisan support to protect patients from bloated and often unexpected out-of-network medical charges. The measure would require hospitals and doctors to reveal whether they are part of a patient’s insurance network before treatment occurs. It would also create a state-regulated binding arbitration process to settle disputed bills for out-of-network emergency care. The New Jersey State AFL-CIO is working diligently to support this bill which would help consumers and address a problem that costs our state nearly $1 billion a year.
A-2256 Incentivizes Film and Television Production in New Jersey
The Assembly Commerce and Economic Development Committee voted to release A-2256 along party lines with Democrats supporting and Republicans abstaining. The bill would establish the New Jersey Film and Television Project and Employment Incentive Program that will provide incentives to bring more nationally distributed film and television productions to New Jersey. We are proud to stand with our IATSE brothers and sisters in support of this legislation to spur economic activity and job growth.