As reported by nj.com, Port Authority police officers earn far more than counterparts from most surrounding local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, including 57 percent more than New Jersey State Troopers, according to a report from an independent watchdog group.

The Citizens Budget Commission also found that officers of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey earn 32 percent more than New York State Troopers, 25-48 percent more than officers in urban municipal police departments, and 23 percent more than federal agents in the region.

In issuing the report, the CBC called for tougher bargaining by the bi-state agency’s management in current talks with the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association union. “With negotiations underway, now is the time to focus on appropriate compensation levels for the Port Authority police force,” said Carol Kellermann, president of the CBC, a private, non-profit group based in New York City. “Based on this analysis, the next contract for Port Authority officers should make progress in aligning their pay to that of officers in large urban departments in the region.”

Most criticism of Port Authority police spending has focused on what critics say is excessive overtime spending, an issue the agency says it has tried to address. 

Port Authority police officers patrol the agency’s Hudson River and Staten Island crossings, the region’s major airports, PATH system, shipping ports and other Port Authority facilities.

Tags: Articles, comparison of wages, New Jersey State Police, NJ Law Enforcement, NJ Police, NJSP, Overtime, police compensation, Port Authority, salaries
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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.

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