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
NJ State PBA
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…
Law Enforcement Officers Should Be Compensated for COVID-19 Temperature Checks Taken at The Start of The Workday
On account of the COVID-19 outbreak, many employers are requiring employees submit to temperature checks prior to entering the place of employment or their specific job. For New Jersey Public Safety Officers, this is no different. To this end, the State of New Jersey and many counties, towns, and municipalities are requiring officers submit to…
Update on Hotels/Housing for First Responders Who May Have Been Exposed to COVID-19
As you are all aware, we recently posted an article about the ability of New Jersey, its counties, and municipalities to house first responders and others who may have been exposed to COVID-19 in hotels and motels at federal expense. Since that time, numerous NJ Public Safety Officers, as well as the Unions that represent…
NJ To Use Hotels For First Responders Who May Have Been Exposed to COVID-19
As reported by NJ.com, New Jersey and its municipalities just got permission to house first responders and others who may have been exposed to the coronavirus in hotels and motels at federal expense. The State became eligible to request Federal Emergency Management Agency funding after President Donald Trump issued an emergency declaration March 26.…
CDC Modifies Guidance for First Responders and Critical Infrastructure Employees
As announced at the White House Press Briefing on the evening of April 8, 2020, yesterday, the Center for Disease Control has modified their guidelines for First Responders that may have been exposed to individuals infected with COVID-19. The new guidelines that were most recently posted on the CDC’s Website are meant to assist agencies…
The Imperfect Practice of Social Distancing for Law Enforcement Officers
As strange as this may sound, I currently feel extremely fortunate that for the past twelve days the attorneys and support personnel within our firm have had the ability to “quarantine” ourselves from the nuclear work space by separating from one another and working from individualized “remote” locations. We took these steps before we were…