Middle Township Police Close to New Contract

COURT HOUSE—Middle Township almost has a new contract with its police department. The only thing necessary is that the township committee ratifies it. They were expected to do that at the regular meeting of the on Oct 7. That vote did not take place. Mayor Daniel Lockwood offered high praise for both the township’s and the Policeman’s Benevolent Association (PBA) negotiating team. He said both sides were pleased. The contract would be revenue neutral and would not require a tax increase, he added.
Earlier in the month, the membership of the PBA Local 59 voted overwhelmingly to ratify the contract negotiated with Middle Township. The proposed contract has changes in it dealing with salary increases, sick leave and health care coverage.
The contract was negotiated by attorney Charles E. Schlager, Jr. of Mt. Laurel who represented the PBA. Paul Baldini, an attorney with offices in Wildwood, Lockwood and Township Administrator Connie Mahon negotiated on behalf of the township.
It includes the following points:
Salary: Police officers will receive a raise. Raises will be retroactive to Jan. 1, 2013. The amount will be based on the Unified Wage Guide. The UWG is a set of instructions put together by the local negotiators that determine what each officer/employee will be paid. Under the proposed agreement there will be an increase of 1.6 percent above whatever the wage guide says that position receives by way of a raise. The proposed contract also adds steps (years) to receiving the maximum salary. It goes from two to 19 steps of employment. This means it will take 19 years for a newly-hired employee to reach the maximum salary.
Sick Leave: It is not necessary to be sick to benefit from sick leave. Presently an officer has the ability to cash in unused “sick leave” up to $12,500. This will change in 2014. The new formula aims to reward good attendance and cut down on the amount of “sick leave” that can be turned into cash. An employee can turn in 90 hours, cash in on up to 60 hours a year provided they do not use more than 40. They will also receive payment at a 90 percent rate instead of the present 100 percent. The new system is an attempt to cut the costs of annual sick leave payments.
Health Insurance: The cost of providing health insurance is burdensome for all employers including Middle Township. ”Obamacare is so new it is hard to see how it will impact employers especially public sector ones,” Schlager said. The proposed contract designed with Chapter 78 of New Jersey law requires an employee contribution to the premium of health insurance. Officers will be paying one third of their premiums as well as co-pays and deductibles. These will all be higher. “The bottom line is that the employees have a decent health insurance plan and the employer saves about $400,000,” Schlager said.