To the Editor:
As a law enforcement officer, I am sworn to protect and serve the citizens of Bayonne. As an elected union official, it is my duty and responsibility to serve my membership through fair representation, preservation of benefits and enforcement of contractual terms. I believe that my roles as a police officer and union president are complimentary in nature, and I approach both positions with equal respect for those I am sworn to serve – the public and my fellow officers.
I am not oblivious to the current economic climate affecting the national or state economies, in addition to the situation facing the citizens of Bayonne. I can personally put names and faces to individuals who are unemployed or are faced with a shrinking household budget due to loss of income. The members and families of the Bayonne Police Superior Officers Association (PSOA) are not immune from this current crisis.
However, I must publicly object to a recent trend of the current administration where they blatantly ignore contractual terms and fail to respond to the agreed-upon grievance process. Rather than trying to resolve contractual differences with the PSOA, the City has adopted an approach of forcing issues to be settled by a neutral third party, which is not only a waste of time that breeds mistrust, but is an additional cost the taxpayers do not need to bear.
I choose to bring this situation to the public’s attention in response to recent statements publicly made by the current administration. Bayonne’s economic predicament was in place long before the economic meltdown occurred on Wall Street. But the administration feels that it is necessary to close its structural deficit on the shoulders of career employees, this assuming that all political patronage jobs have been eliminated.
I commend the administration for wanting to achieve fiscal austerity by delivering services to the public while balancing the costs to the taxpayer. However, as the PSOA has been in contract negotiations for over a year, I cannot help but think that certain actions are an attempt to “break the will of the unions.” Concessions must be won at the bargaining table where they belong and where parties to a contract can operate in an open environment, free from threats, coercion, and undue political pressure.
The PSOA remains dedicated to the negotiation process and until a new contract is achieved. We expect the City to show its commitment to both the employees and the people they serve by honoring the terms and conditions currently in place, until negotiated or arbitrated otherwise. Rather than ignore the PSOA and force arbitration of grievances, work with us and save everyone time and expense.
DAVID TOBEY
President
Bayonne Police SOA