Hall the way
The NJ State PBA’s show of strength at the State House
ensured the pension bill passed the State Assembly and
further confirmed the impact of members’ political presence
n BY MITCHELL KRUGEL
n PHOTOS BY ED CARATTINI, JR.
When has New Jersey politics seen this: Speaker Vincent Prieto emerges from the
morning Democratic Party caucus and high-fives NJ State PBA members lining the
halls of the State House on the day the Assembly votes on the pension bill.
When has New Jersey politics seen this: PBA members who have been in Trenton
for going on 10 hours erupt from their seats in the balcony of the State Legislature
and cheer as each “yes” vote is cast for A99, the bill to give public safety labor unions
control of the Police and Fire Retirement System (PFRS) pension.
When have New Jersey politicians seen this: On 24 hours’ notice, more than 300
PBA members converge on Trenton at the request of Executive Vice-President Marc
Kovar to show the state’s elected officials how important the pension bill is to law
enforcement and firefighters and ultimately persuade several of the pols to change
their votes.
The halls were alive with the sound of NJ State PBA members at the State House on
March 23. An instant PBA Day once again confirmed the power of the union’s people
that cajoled the Assembly to vote 61-4 to pass the bill with 10 abstentions. Those 10
were potential no votes, Kovar observed, from legislators who changed their tune in
deference to the PBA and its brothers and sisters from the NJ State FMBA who also
marched on Trenton.
“Several Assembly Reps called me when they were in caucus and wanted to come
out and ask specific questions,” Kovar revealed. “They wouldn’t have been calling me
if they didn’t see our members there. And because of the relationships our members
had with some of the elected officials, we were able to get them to change their votes.”
The bill is now on the governor’s desk with overwhelming support from both Demo-
cratic and Republican state legislators. Whether he signs it is still anybody’s guess, but
the March 23 show of solidarity confirmed that when it comes to the pension bill, the
PBA is in no position to be fussed with.
The presence of members on this day will no doubt have fallout all the way to the
November state legislature and gubernatorial elections. And many elected officials
now have realized that high-fiving the blue line will be much mo re productive than
crossing it.
“To see that many members, it shows how important this piece of legislation is to
us,” confirmed Aberdeen Local 163 Delegate Edgar Serrano, who had a spot on the
Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto greets
NJ State PBA members, who gave him a
rousing applause on March 23 when the
vote for the pension bill passed the State
Assembly by an overwhelming majority.
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www.njcopsmagazine.com
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