HOBOKEN — The city is negotiating several labor contracts, including police and fire, but Mayor Dawn Zimmer and the City Council — the elected officials — may have no say in what is agreed to.
Several unions have been without a labor contract for two years, and the outcome of the current negotiations will have an immense impact on the fiscal health of the city over the next two years.
Public safety employees are most likely going to get some sort of raise that the city will pay retroactively.
Fire department negotiations came to a halt recently, according to several sources close to the proceeedings, and the department has filed for arbitration. No word on how much of a raise was on the table, but a source close to negotiations claims arbitrators are awarding on average 3.86 percent raises.
Last night, the council sat in closed session to discuss police negotiations, but took no action afterwards. According to one councilperson, it wouldn’t matter anyway: State-apponited Fiscal Monitor Judy Tripodi has the power to override any council decision.
According to sources close to the negotiations, the city has offered 3.9 percent raises retroactive for 2008 and 2009 and 2.3 percent increases for 2010 and 2011. The deal also included a change of health benefit provider that would save the city money, but would not ask the police to pay into their benefits, as some local budget hawks were hoping.
The police agreed to the deal and signed a memorandum of agreement on Tuesday, which means the council could have closed the deal on Wednesday, pending Tripodi’s approval when she returns from vacation.
But the council is looking for a giveback that they can call a “win” politically, according to a source.
In the past, Zimmer has publically voiced her disagreement with Tripodi’s labor proposals, asking public safety employees to hear the pleas of the taxpayer and agree to a much less expensive contract.
A few public safety employees have called the pleas ridiculous, especially requiring men and women who face so many dangerous situations to pay a part of their health care benefits.
Her majority on the council may be fighting on her behalf now, but Tripodi will have the final say when she returns from Puerto Rico.
Sources also said that the municipal employees’ contract will fall into line quickly after the fire and police contracts are finalized.
Superior officers in both public safety departments have thier own union and a seperate contract. – TJC
Police payout coming in Hoboken
