Communications Workers of America v. Florio

The opinion of the Court was delivered by

GARIBALDI, J.

These joint appeals arise from lawsuits raising identical issues that challenge the Governor’s refusal to implement employee layoffs in the manner mandated by the Legislature in the 1993 Fiscal Year Appropriations Act, L. 1992, c. 40 (the “Appropriations Act” or the “Act”), as amended by Senate Bill 996, L. 1992, c. 99, (the “Appropriations Amendments” or “Senate Bill 996”). Unlike the language of the original Appropriations Act that obligated the Governor “whenever possible” to avoid the layoff of career State employees, the language of…