For those of you in the know, it comes as no shock that the Licensing of sworn law enforcement officers in the State of New Jersey began on January 1, 2024. Now that the licensing implementation date has passed, with the exception of a very few, the vast majority of Patrol Officers, Sheriff’s Officers, Correctional
NJ Police
Are Your Rights Under the FMLA and the NJFLA Negotiable? Examining the Interplay between Family/ Medical Leave and Paid Leave Time
Both the federal Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and New Jersey’s Family Leave Act (FLA) provide that an employer may adopt a policy requiring an employee to exhaust accrued paid leave during periods of FMLA/ FLA leave. In these situations, an employee would have to simultaneously utilize paid leave during periods of FMLA/ FLA leave…
The Effect of Pending Charges or Lawsuits on Disability Retirement Applications
When filing an application for disability retirement benefits with any of New Jersey public employee pension systems, there are a myriad of considerations that must be taken into account and certain pitfalls that can occur along the way. One of the considerations and/or pitfalls that must be considered is whether a member has any active…
Your Application for Disability Retirement Was Denied…Now What?
As indicated in our post last week, deciding whether to utilize an attorney when filing for application for disability retirement benefits is an important initial consideration. Many individuals utilize the services of an attorney, while others do not. Nevertheless, many applications for disability retirement are routinely rejected by a Board of Trustees of a pension…
Wayne Township Vaccine Mandate Upheld By Court Following a Challenge Lodged by PBA Local
As first reported in NorthJersey.com, by the date of September 17th, 2021, members of PBA Local #136, the certified Collective Negotiations Unit that represents Rank and File Law Enforcement Officers employed by Wayne Township in Passaic County, New Jersey will be forced by a mandate issued by Township’s Leadership to receive…
Supreme Court Reaffirms “Reasonably Debatable” Standard In Reviewing Arbitration Awards
As reported in the New Jersey Law Journal, Firefighters Mutual Benevolent Association Local 67 (FMBA #67), filed a grievance against the Borough of Carteret in regard to a staffing issue that the parties had agreed to which was subsequently retracted by the Borough. The case was taken to an arbitration hearing and…
Under New Bill, NJ Police Officers, Firefighters Can Retire Early
As reported by NJ.com, nearly 8,000 New Jersey Police Officers and Firefighters with twenty (20) years of service can now retire early under a bill signed into law on Monday. The legislation, S107, known as the “burnout bill,” allows public safety workers who reach twenty (20) years of service within the next two years…
Plan for Billions in Borrowing to Avert Public Worker Layoffs Clears NJ Assembly
As reported by NJ.com, a plan offered by Governor Phil Murphy for New Jersey’s state government to make up for massive losses in tax revenue with up to $14 billion in borrowing passed the State Assembly yesterday, but still lacks support from State Senate President Stephen Sweeney. The measure cleared the lower house in…
The COVID-19 State of Emergency Does Not Entitle Management to “Throw Your Collective Bargaining Agreement Out the Window”
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken hold of our lives and has undoubtedly had an impact on First Responders from both a personal and professional standpoint. Over the past several weeks, our firm’s attorneys have had the unique perspective of witnessing individual administrators from across the State of New Jersey exhibit fantastic leadership qualities, while other…
Senate Passes Bill To Pay Benefits of First Responders Who Die of Coronavirus
As reported by NJ.com, legislation to automatically pay federal death benefits to first responders who die of the coronavirus unanimously passed the United States Senate yesterday. The measure removes the requirement that families of police officers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians have to prove that the first responder was infected while on the job…