Watching Wings reruns all day and telling your grandchildren how they never call are just a few of the joys of retirement. But if you worked for the Port Authority, you could also count on a free E-ZPass to cross as many bridges and tunnels as necessary in search of discount Metamucil. But last year, with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's blessing, the PA abolished the free E-ZPasses for retirees to save $1.5 million annually. 65-year-old former PA police sergeant Thomas Westfield believes it's unfair, and is suing. "It's a benefit that I earned and counted on. It was promised to us," he told the Wall Street Journal. No word on the Port Authority's promise to allow retirees to "skip the line at Port Authority Prom."
The PA's former executive director, Chris Ward, said at the time that the elimination was "another step to meet the financial reality facing this agency." Valued at $2,000 a year, the loss of the free E-ZPass which also affected agency commissioners and nonunion employees, and allowed holders to park for free at PA airports. Westfield's suit alleges that the agency "breached its promise" by removing the benefits outside of union contract negotiations, and is requesting that the benefit be restored, and that his legal fees be paid.
Port Authority spokesman Ron Marisco tells the paper that the his employer "stands by its decision," and that it will "be looking for other compensation and benefits that can and should be reined in." With proposed cuts in Social Security, Medicare, and people turning to lotto tickets to replace their nest eggs, future PA retirees had better hope Westfield's suit succeeds: that E-ZPass is free rent for a Winnebago indefinitely parked at JFK.
