As reported by the New Jersey Law Journal, the New Jersey Supreme Court has taken up the issue of whether a volunteer firefighter who was injured while responding to a fire should be awarded workers’ compensation benefits. The firefighter, Jennifer Kocanowski, is seeking to overturn an Appellate Division decision determining that, since she was unemployed… Continue Reading
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NJ Senate Bill S-1858 Proposes to Implement a Permanent 2% Salary Cap on Police and Fire Interest Arbitration Awards
By Frank Crivelli on Posted in Interest Arbitration, Public Employment Labor LawOn Friday, February 9th, 2018, New Jersey State Senator Declan O’Scanlon introduced legislation that would reinstate New Jersey’s interest arbitration salary cap that limits two-percent (2%) annual salary increases that can be awarded when disputed police and fire contracts enter the process of binding arbitration. O’ Scanlon stated on his website that “One of the… Continue Reading
New Jersey Does Not Need the Republicans Legislating the 2% Salary Cap Out of Fear of November’s Impending Gubernatorial Election Results
By Frank Crivelli on Posted in UncategorizedOver the past several days, the minority leaders of the New Jersey State Legislature have become increasingly vocal in their demands to renew what is commonly called the Interest Arbitration Salary Cap. The Interest Arbitration Salary Cap limits Interest Arbitrator’s economic awards that govern pay raises for first responders in the State of New Jersey.… Continue Reading
Atlantic City Firefighters Won’t Face Layoffs — for now
By Michael DeRose on Posted in Public Employment Labor LawAs reported by Philly.com, a New Jersey judge temporarily blocked the state Friday from laying off firefighters in Atlantic City, but ruled that their work schedules, salaries, and overtime can be changed by former U.S. Sen. Jeffrey S. Chiesa (R., N.J.), who is directing the state takeover of Atlantic City. The firefighters union had sued… Continue Reading
Sweeney Introduces Bill Seeking to Wrest Control of PFRS Away from State Treasury
By Michael DeRose on Posted in Public Employment Pension CrisisAs reported by N.J.com, furious after watching pension investment fees triple over the last three years even as their funds lost value, police and firefighter union leaders are seeking to wrest control of their underfunded pensions from the state. As Gov. Chris Christie is set to deliver his final budget address, state Senate President Sweeney (D-Gloucester) on… Continue Reading
New Bill Proposes $2 Room Surcharge at A.C. Hotels to Avoid Police and Firefighter Layoffs
By Michael DeRose on Posted in Public Employment Labor LawAs reported by N.J.com, guests at Atlantic City hotels may soon see a new $2 surcharge on their room bills to help avoid police and firefighter layoffs in the financially struggling seaside gambling resort. Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto on Tuesday proposed a bill that would temporarily charge hotels in the city a $2 tax or fee to help… Continue Reading
The US Supreme Court agrees that Paterson Police Officer’s Demotion Violated his First Amendment Right to Free Speech
By Frank Crivelli on Posted in Public Employee Discipline, Public Employment Labor LawThe U.S. Supreme Court sided with former Paterson police officer Jeffrey J. Heffernan and ruled that his First Amendment rights were violated when he was demoted after picking up a campaign sign for the mayor’s opponent. Heffernan had been demoted after supporters of Mayor Jose “Joey” Torres saw him picking up a campaign sign for challenger Lawrence Spagnola,… Continue Reading
Trenton First Responders to Receive Bulletproof Vests & Raises
By Michael DeRose on Posted in Contract Negotiations, Public Employment Labor Law, UncategorizedAs reported by Trentonian.com, Trenton firefighters will receive bulletproof vests and raises as part of a labor contract approved by city council on Dec. 17. “Our firefighters — they go inside houses — sometimes in situations where they don’t really know what the circumstances are,” Qareeb Bashir, the city’s fire & emergency services director, rationalized… Continue Reading
Hamilton Mayor Talks Fire District Consolidation; Wants State Input
By Donald Barbati on Posted in Shared Services/ConsolodationAs reported by NJ.com, Hamilton Mayor Kelly Yaede met with the Township firefighters’ unions two years ago about consolidation and said she is pleased to finally see petitions going to taxpayers to start the process. The mayor, though, believes the unions which are spearheading the effort should be seeking signatures in all districts, including District… Continue Reading
Law Suit Filed by Pension Board Trustees is Dismissed by the State Superior Court
By Frank Crivelli on Posted in Public Employment Labor Law, Public Employment Pension CrisisAs reported on NJ.Com, yesterday, Mary Jacobson, a State Superior Court Judge blocked an attempt by the Trustees of New Jersey’s largest pension funds to revise their suit seeking billions of dollars from the State to fund the pension system in light of a recent state Supreme Court decision. The state’s highest court in June found the… Continue Reading
Crivelli & Barbati, L.L.C. Files Suit Against the State of NJ for Christie’s Refusal To Pay Step Increments
By Frank Crivelli on Posted in Contract Negotiations, Public Employment Labor LawAs reported in NJ.Com as well as NJSpotlight, the State of New Jersey recently told thousands of union members whose contracts expired June 30, 2015, that they won’t be receiving annual incremental pay increases while there’s no new deal in place. In the past, State employees have received their annual increases if their performance merited the… Continue Reading
Memphis’s Pension Crisis is Now a Public Safety Crisis–Will New Jersey Repeat the River City’s Mistakes?
By Frank Crivelli on Posted in Public Employment Labor Law, Public Employment Pension Crisis, Retiree BenefitsYesterday, I received an email from one of our readers, Ed Mecka, from Hoboken, New Jersey, who turned me on to an article regarding the pension crisis that is taking place in Memphis, Tennessee. The crisis in Memphis has caught the national media’s attention, and an article was printed in the Wall Street Journal a… Continue Reading
NJ League of Municipalities Warns that Christie’s Proposed Pension Reform Could Disenfranchise Workers and Trigger a Mass Exodus of Local Employees
By Frank Crivelli on Posted in Contract Interpretation, Contract Negotiations, Interest Arbitration, Public Employment Labor Law, Retiree BenefitsAs reported in NJ.Com, the New Jersey League of Municipalities stopped short of taking an official position on Gov. Chris Christie’s proposed pension reforms but stated the proposed changes could disenfranchise workers and trigger a mass exodus of local workers. Executive Director Bill Dressel shared the league’s concerns in a letter to the governor late last… Continue Reading
Court Rules Some NJ Volunteer Fire Companies Subject To Public Records Act
By Donald Barbati on Posted in UncategorizedAs reported by NJ.com, a State Superior Court Judge has ruled that four (4) volunteer fire companies in Lakewood are government agencies subject to the New Jersey Open Public Records Act (“OPRA”). Specifically, the Judge ruled that four (4) volunteer fire companies in Lakewood must produce rosters, check registries, e-mails, meeting minutes and resolutions, and… Continue Reading
NJ Has Lowest Number of Public Workers In Eight Years
By Donald Barbati on Posted in UncategorizedAs reported by nj.com, with a flood of retirements, the sluggish economy, and a governor intent on shrinking the size of government, the number of public workers in New Jersey has dropped to its lowest level in eight years, a Star-Ledger analysis shows. New Jersey shed about 29,100 state and local government jobs during… Continue Reading
Christie Wants to Eliminate Division of Fire Safety
By Donald Barbati on Posted in UncategorizedAs reported by nj.com, a Democratic state senator said that Governor Chris Christie is looking into eliminating the Division of Fire Safety, which is responsible for enforcing the state fire code, education programs, and firefighter training. In a news release criticizing the plan, Senator Jim Whelan said the administration wants to divide the duties of… Continue Reading
Towns Must Provide Explanations When Hiring Less Qualified Workers
By Donald Barbati on Posted in UncategorizedAs reported by nj.com, municipalities hiring from a civil service list have to give a “legitimate” reason for skipping over a candidate in favor of one who placed lower in test ranking, the state Supreme Court ruled yesterday. The 4-2 decision reverses a practice that labor experts said had given too much power to… Continue Reading
Trenton Firefighter Unions Ready to Battle Plan That Eliminates Captain Rank For 15% Pay Cut
By Donald Barbati on Posted in UncategorizedAs reported by trentonian.com, Trenton firefighters are bracing for a major shake-up and legal battle as the State of New Jersey encourages Mayor Tony Mack’s administration to institute a restructuring plan that fire department insiders say violates the firefighters’ contracts and may force unions to go on the offensive. The plan calls for the… Continue Reading
Edison Firefighters File Lawsuit Against Mayor
By Donald Barbati on Posted in UncategorizedAs reported by nj.com, when William Stephens ran for Mayor of Edison in 2005, township firefighters supported his opponent Jun Choi, who won. Firefighters claims Stephens never forgot. Four years later, then-Councilwoman Antonia Ricigliano defeated Choi, took office and appointed Stephens as her management specialist. In a federal court suit filed last week, firefighters say… Continue Reading
Federal Grant Returns 30 Laid Off Atlantic City Firefighters to Work
By Donald Barbati on Posted in UncategorizedAs reported by pressofatlanticcity.com, Atlantic City’s 30 laid-off firefighters will return to work on April 4, 2011. There will be an orientation, which will begin the process to get them back in uniform, and filling positions that currently require either overtime or closing companies, Fire Chief Dennis Brooks said. The rehires will be paid for… Continue Reading
Camden to Rehire 50 Police Officers, 15 Firefighters
By Donald Barbati on Posted in UncategorizedAs reported by nj.com, Camden Mayor Dana Reed says her crime-ridden city will rehire 50 police officers and 15 firefighters two months after deep layoffs to public safety departments. Reed announced that she will use $2.5 million paid to the City by the South Jersey Port Corp, plus federal grants, to bring back the… Continue Reading
Application for Attorneys’ Fees to Enforce Interest Arbitration Award Denied
By Donald Barbati on Posted in Interest ArbitrationOn June 25, 2009, the Appellate Division decided IAFF, Local 1197 v. Township of Edison, Docket No.: A-0194-08T1. In the case, IAFF, Local 1197 appeals from an order entered by the trial court on August 4, 2008, denying its motion for an award of attorneys’ fees and costs incurred in this action to enforce… Continue Reading
Candidate Properly Bypassed Under Rule of Three
By Donald Barbati on Posted in Civil Service AppealsOn June 18, 2009, the Appellate Division decided In the Matter of Andre Ruiz, Firefighter (M2271E), City of Camden, Docket No.: A-2611-07T2. In the case, Andrte Ruiz appealed the Final Administrative Action of the Merit System Board (“Board”) issued on October 11, 2007, concluding that the City of Camden (“City”) properly bypassed Ruiz under… Continue Reading
New York Governor Vetoes Routine Pension Measure
By Donald Barbati on Posted in Pay and OvertimeNew York Governor David Patterson dropped a bombshell on two powerful unions yesterday when he unexpectedly vetoed a routine measure that for nearly thirty (30) years had allowed New York city cops and firefighters to retire with generous pensions. “These are not routine times,” Paterson said in vetoing the “temporary” measure that, since 1981, had… Continue Reading
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