Dive Brief:
- The New Jersey Education Association, the largest teacher union in the state, has backed out of pension and health benefits negotiations with Gov. Chris Christie.
- The news isn't good for the governor, who had previously touted the partnership as a sign that he could work and negotiate with political opponents.
- The NJEA says it will not discuss new changes until the state funds pensions to the capacity it had agreed on four years ago.
Dive Insight:
While the pension agreement was previously a great success for Christie, he has since backed out of the state's contributions to the pension plan in both the 2014 and 2015 fiscal year. Under the 2011 agreement, Christie promised to allocate $3.1 billion toward the pensions, but his most recent budget proposal for the fiscal year beginning July 1 only sets aside $1.6 billion — a major decrease.