As reported by nj.com, leaders of police and firefighter unions slammed Governor Chris Christie at a rally outside the Statehouse on March 3, 2011. 

Bill Lavin, president of the New Jersey Firefighter’s Mutual Benevolent Association, said Christie loves police and firefighters, but hates the unions because “he hates your voice.” Lavin said the Governor wants to take away hard-earned benefits for police and firefighters, then deliver the eulogies at their funerals. In response to Christie calling the rally a “me-first rally” at a press conference, Lavin said he agrees with the Governor’s assessment of the event. “I agree with him,” he said. “Every time the bell rings, every time shots are fired, you people say, ‘me first, I go in first.’ ”

The rally was expected to draw a crowd of more than 8,000, but Lavin said he was told the crowd was in excess of 15,000.

The president of Lakewood PBA, Gary Przewoznik, said he was on his way to a PBA meeting to tell Lakewood officers that jobs had been saved through a compromise with the township when he got the call that Officer Christopher Matlosz had been shot. “The assassination of Chris Matlosz served as a reminder to all of us that our jobs are vital to our communities,” he said. “We are the good guys.”  

Christie blamed the unions for cuts in public safety, citing examples in Camden and Newark where unions could have made concessions to save jobs. The governor said it is the unions’ civil rights to protest. When asked what effect such rallies have on his decision-making, Christie said, “Zero. Absolutely Zero.”

Tags: Articles, Governor Christie, NJ Fire, NJ Police, Statehouse Police and Fire Rally, Statehouse Rally
Print:
Email this postTweet this postLike this postShare this post on LinkedIn
Photo of Donald C. Barbati Donald C. Barbati

Donald C. Barbati is a shareholder of Crivelli, Barbati & DeRose, L.L.C. His primary practice revolves around the representation of numerous public employee labor unions in various capacities to include contract negotiation, unfair labor practice litigation, contract grievance arbitration, and other diverse issues…

Donald C. Barbati is a shareholder of Crivelli, Barbati & DeRose, L.L.C. His primary practice revolves around the representation of numerous public employee labor unions in various capacities to include contract negotiation, unfair labor practice litigation, contract grievance arbitration, and other diverse issues litigated before the courts and administrative tribunals throughout the State of New Jersey. In addition, Mr. Barbati also routinely represents individuals in various types of public pension appeals, real estate transactions, and general litigation matters. He is a frequent contributor to the New Jersey Public Safety Officers Law Blog, a free legal publication designed to keep New Jersey public safety officers up-to-date and informed about legal issues pertinent to their profession. During his years of practice, Mr. Barbati has established a reputation for achieving favorable results for his clients in a cost-efficient manner.

Mr. Barbati has also handled numerous novel legal issues while representing New Jersey Public Safety Officers. Most notably, he served as lead counsel for the Appellants in the published case In re Rodriguez, 423 N.J. Super. 440 (App. Div. 2011). In that case, Mr. Barbati successfully argued on behalf of the Appellants, thereby overturning the Attorney General’s denial of counsel to two prison guards in a civil rights suit arising from an inmate assault. In the process, the Court clarified the standard to be utilized by the Attorney General in assessing whether a public employee is entitled to legal representation and mandated that reliance must be placed on up-to-date information.

Prior to becoming a practicing attorney, Mr. Barbati served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Linda R. Feinberg, Assignment Judge of the Superior Court of New Jersey, Mercer Vicinage. During his clerkship Mr. Barbati handled numerous complex and novel substantive and procedural issues arising from complaints in lieu of prerogative writs, orders to show cause, and motion practice. These include appeals from decisions by planning and zoning boards and local government bodies, bidding challenges under the Local Public Contract Law, Open Public Records Act requests, the taking of private property under the eminent domain statute, and election law disputes. In addition, Mr. Barbati, as a certified mediator, mediated many small claims disputes in the Special Civil Part.

Mr. Barbati received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history, magna cum laude, from Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Upon graduating, Mr. Barbati attended Widener University School of Law in Wilmington, Delaware. In 2007, he received his juris doctorate, magna cum laude, graduating in the top five percent of his class. During law school, Mr. Barbati interned for the Honorable Joseph E. Irenas, Senior United States District Court Judge for the District of New Jersey in Camden, New Jersey, assisting on various constitutional, employment, and Third Circuit Court of Appeals litigation, including numerous civil rights, social security, and immigration cases.

Read more about Donald C. Barbati
Show more Show less