Toll Collectors Speak Out Against Proposed Privatization of Turnpike, Parkway Jobs

Toll collectors up and down the New Jersey Turnpike had a simple message for the Turnpike Authority (NJTA) at its weekly meeting: don’t privatize our jobs.

And while NJTA Treasurer Michael R. DuPont acknowledged the Authority had a lot to consider, Commissioner Jan Walden said she’d like to see more statistics from toll collectors proving privatization would not be good for the state, nj.com reports.

In November, the Authority called for a Request for Proposal (RFP) to gather bids for toll collection, according to the report.  This would include collection services and oversight of the state’s electronic tolling system.

Toll collectors in Monroe Township in Middlesex County and Hillside in Union County, among others, appeared at Wednesday night’s meeting to state their case, citing the needs of their families and their long service to the state, according to the report.

Toll collectors agreed to salary cuts in 2011 in order to extend their contracts for two years. They expire this year, and Xerox’s contract to oversee the E-ZPass system expires in 2016, according to the report.

There are currently 200 workers on the Turnpike and 136 on the Garden State Parkway, according to the report.