Essex County Board OKs Pay Raises For Prison Correctional Officers

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The union that represents corrections officers in Essex County has reached a contract deal with county administrators, officials say.

The Essex County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a memorandum of agreement with the New Jersey State Policeman’s Benevolent Association Local 382 (PBA382) at their meeting on Wednesday.

PBA382 is among several Essex County law enforcement unions that have been demanding pay raises and better staffing ratios. Others include FOP106 (supervisors with the Essex County Department of Corrections), PBA183 (Essex County Sheriff's officers and investigators), PBA183A (Essex County Sheriff's sworn supervisors), and a collective bargaining unit representing Essex County Prosecutor's Office detectives.

Last month, a large crowd of angry police officers, corrections officers and other law enforcement workers showed up at a commissioner meeting to voice their displeasure with the way negotiations have been going. Read More: Outraged Essex County Cops Demand Raises, Flood Board Meeting

According to a previous statement from union leaders, more than 1,000 law enforcement workers in Essex County haven’t seen a raise in nearly seven years.

However, after some “very difficult but always in good faith” negotiations, an agreement has been reached with PBA382, according to Jerome St. John of the county counsel office.

During Wednesday’s meeting, St. John told the county commissioners that Monday’s deal with the union has been ratified, with nearly 75 percent of its members approving the contract.

The commissioners then voted unanimously to approve the work agreement, which covers the period from Jan. 1, 2018 to Dec. 31, 2023.

The deal will give retroactive salary raises to PBA382 members at the following rates:

• Effective and retroactive to January 1, 2018 - 2.25%
• Effective and retroactive to January 1, 2019 - 2.25%
• Effective and retroactive to January 1, 2020 - 2.8%
• Effective and retroactive to January 1, 2021 - 2.9%
• Effective and retroactive to January 1, 2022 - 3%
• Effective and retroactive to January 1, 2023 - 3%

As part of the deal, the union consented to a change in health benefit carriers from Aetna to the State Health Benefits Program (SHBP). In return, it agreed to withdraw an unfair practice charge related to the SHBP selection.

The total cost of the deal with PBA382 will not exceed $30 million, and the actual amount “should be significantly lower,” according to the agreement.

After the vote, Commissioner Board President Wayne Richardson asked for an update on negotiations with the other collective bargaining units that are seeking new contracts.

St. John replied that the county is in mandatory binding interest arbitration with one of the unions. A mediation sit-down session is also in the cards, he added.

“I check routinely whether there’s been any requests for a sit-down to discuss matters,” St. John told Richardson of the other bargaining units. “We made a proposal to them … there has not been a counter proposal as of last Thursday.”

However, Ed Esposito of PBA183A later disputed the assertion that the county has made a “concrete” offer to his union that is “fair and equitable” – and which contains retroactive raises.

Watch footage from the Dec. 6 meeting here, or view it below (video is cued to the vote and discussion about the contract).

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