Galloway Police Make Sacrifices in New Contract with Township

and Mainland PBA Local 77, representing the officers in the , entered into a new collective bargaining agreement Tuesday night, one that will save the township a lot of money and makes it harder for officers to reach the highest level of their pay scale.

According to the new four-year contract, announced after Tuesday night’s executive session, wages for employees covered by the Rank and File Agreement and salaries for the corporals, sergeants and lieutenants covered by the Superior Officers Agreement both see wage increases beginning at 0 percent in 2011, 1 percent in 2012 and 2 percent in both 2013 and 2014.

This translates to starting salaries for Rank and File employees of $42,420 on July 1, 2012; $43,268 effective April 1, 2013; and $44,134 on Jan. 1, 2014.

This is down from a starting rate of over $50,000 previously.

Superior officers will start in the $100,000 range, and only the seven superior officers placed on the off-guide (OG) steps in 2011 will remain on those steps until that officer retires.

Meanwhile, the OG steps the officers Rank and File and new superior officers must complete to get to the highest pay scale was increased from seven steps to 15 steps, with their pay ceiling remaining the same. Instead of reaching it in five years, it will now take 10 years and one day to get to that point, Assistant Shop Steward for the PBA and Galloway Lt. Chris Doyle said.

“It’s a fair deal,” Doyle said. “We know the township is in turmoil, and we want it to work so that we can hire in the future. This allows us to keep the force we have. … There’s not many guarantees, but we are able to preserve what we have and save the township money.”

The deal doesn’t guarantee there won’t be layoffs for the police force, but Doyle said both sides wanted to reach a deal without going into arbitration because once it goes to arbitration, neither side really wins.

No attorneys were involved in the negotiations for the deal. Doyle and fellow Assistant Shop Steward and Patrolman Steve Garrison, along with Superior Officer for Local 77 and Galloway Corporal Greg Bollinger negotiated the deal with Mayor Don Purdy, Deputy Mayor Tony Coppola and Councilman Brian Tyrrell.

“The savings for the township could be upwards of $200,000,” Purdy said. “This is what happens when two groups know there’s a problem and they are able to agree the old fashioned way.”

“This can serve as a model moving forward,” Coppola said. “This gives the officers stability.”

“I’m very proud to have had a major role in this,” Tyrrell said. “I feel it is one of my first big contributions to Galloway.”

The sides reached an agreement, which was immediately ratified by the union and approved by the township.

Purdy commended the police department for making sacrifices for the township.

“The times we’re in, violence increases,” Purdy said. “There’s so much stuff that goes on, more than just what’s in the paper. These guys are beating the pavement every day, and they’re doing their job so that we know we’re safe in the community. This agreement was made in good faith.

“I can’t say a bad thing about the police department. It makes me feel good for them to do this.”