COLTS NECK – The start of a new year brought with it a new contract between the Township Committee and the union that represents every police officer in the Colts Neck Police Department with the exception of lieutenants and the police chief.
Beginning in September, representatives of the township and the union negotiated the terms of an agreement that will run from Jan. 1, 2018 through Dec. 31, 2021. The previous contract ran from Jan. 1, 2015 through Dec. 31, 2017.
Township Committeeman Russell Macnow, who was Colts Neck’s mayor and PBA liaison in 2017, Township Administrator Kathleen Capristo and Chief Financial Officer John Antonides represented the township in the negotiations.
PBA President Rich Zarrillo, PBA delegate Morgan Savage and Sgt. Brian Caswell represented the union in the negotiations.
The new contract includes a raise for police officers, an adjustment to health insurance plans and the elimination of longevity pay.
The base level salary for police officers for the length of the contract has increased from $36,865 to $42,000. The salary structure is divided into 16 pay grades, with the highest pay grade being for sergeants, and each level of the salary structure has an increase.
Longevity pay was a contractual agreement that gave employees credit for the number of years they have worked for the police department. Macnow said the state has been pushing to eliminate longevity pay.
Health insurance changes include implementing full dental benefits and adjusting the “voluntary waiver” program which allows officers who have other health insurance coverage to receive a payment in lieu of receiving health insurance from Colts Neck. Beginning with the new contract, new hires will not be eligible for the waiver program.
“The PBA is about half of our workforce in town,” Macnow said. “They are hard-working men and women and we try to do the best not only for them, but for our taxpayers as well.
“We spent a lot of time working on a contract for the next four years … a lot of meetings and phone calls. All good, productive and constructive, as all negotiations should be. We got to a point where we were in agreement as to how we were going to move forward,” he said.
Macnow said he wanted to get the new contract finalized before the end of 2017 and that was accomplished. He said other changes include additional bereavement time and certain changes to training procedures.
“Historically, if these negotiations go beyond the end of the year, it gets difficult to complete and implement the new contract,” he said. “It’s better to start a new contract with the new year.”
“The PBA was looking for a fair contract and with Mr. Macnow, we were able to achieve the fairest contract we have had in some time,” Zarillo said. “They were very willing to listen to us and we were able to come to an agreement.”
Zarillo said Colts Neck’s representatives “were open and receptive to our suggestions and concerns, and we had many meetings and communications on the matter. At the end of the day, it is probably one of the smoothest negotiations we have had in many years.”
