NEW JERSEY COPS ■ FEBRUARY 2014
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Local 71 serves up Super Bowl support
PBA members stepped up to help their fellow officers on Super Bowl Sunday. Lakewood
PBA Local 71 brought its new bus to MetLife Stadium and provided food and beverages to
officers from all law enforcement agencies assigned to Super Bowl details.
The call to action started with a request from State Troopers Federation Association President Chris Burgos for support for law enforcement members stationed at the stadium for
several days. In June, PBA Local 71 brought home its bus home that is a rolling tribute to the
State PBA.
“Everyone loves the bus,” said Local 71 State Delegate Steve Kelusak. “We tell people if
you have something going on and you need our help with the bus, give us a call
and we'll try to get there,"
Law enforcement officers working the detail include those from the New Jersey State Police, Border Patrol, Customs, Homeland Security, FBI,
municipal police departments and even the National Guard. With
a supply of food provided by the STFA, PBA members cooked
inside the bus and served the food to the law enforcement officers
each day leading up to the game. Up to 200 meals were served up
per day, and on Super Bowl Sunday, the PBA turned out about 350
meals.
Kelusak said the officers and troopers were very grateful to see
the bus there every day with a hot meal waiting. But Local 71 is no
stranger to showing up to aid and feed officers in times of need.
"We used to take the PBA trailer to all the events and now we've
upgraded to the bus and people love it," Kelusak said.
Kelusak is asking that all law enforcement officers who visited
the bus send Local 71 a patch from their agency. The patches will
be displayed inside the bus.
Patches can be sent to Lakewood PBA Local 71, 231 Third Street,
Lakewood, NJ, 08701. d
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the Legislature are many issues that PBA members will recognize
from the past few years, such as:
Arbitration Award Cap
While no bill has been introduced on this to date, the 2010 law
instituting a temporary 2-percent cap on arbitration awards is
set to sunset in April. The League of Municipalities is demanding the State Legislature to make this cap permanent. The matter is expected to be hotly debated during the next few weeks.
But the reality is that the 2-percent tax levy cap, various changes
to PERC rules governing collective bargaining and contracts and
the fact that arbitrations remain as infrequent as they were in
2010 make an extension of the arbitration cap unnecessary.
Sick Leave
The State PBA believes a solution is possible on this matter
and we have worked with Gov. Christie’s Office, the Senate and
Assembly on it. Since any time earned under a contract is considered a property right by all sides in the discussion, current legislation would freeze that time and then eliminate cash value for
any time moving forward from that date or at the end of a contract. Several bills exist to do that we are monitoring, including:
Assembly Bill 158 (Casagrande) (OLD BILL #A2495): Prohibits payment to public employees at retirement for certain
unused sick leave; provides for forfeiture of payment for unused
sick leave for certain criminal convictions; and requires documentation for use of sick leave.
Assembly Bill 1842 (Lampitt) (OLD BILL #A1179): Limits
payments for unused sick leave earned after effective date by
public officers or employees represented by union; for all public
employees, limits vacation leave carry-forward and requires suspension and forfeiture of certain supplemental compensation.
Senate Bill 79 (Stack) (OLD BILL #2117): Eliminates payments for unused sick leave earned after effective date; limits
carry forward of unused vacation leave; requires suspension and
forfeiture of certain payments; limits use of unused sick leave
in year before retirement.
Disability Reform
The State PBA has led the battle to reform the process for
awarding accidental disability pensions, and we have worked to
draft a legal solution that addresses the Supreme Court’s decision that reduces costs without cutting benefits. Legislation still
exists that demands steep cuts for current and future retirees
which the State PBA strongly opposes. A bill we are watching:
Senate Bill 76 (Stack) (OLD BILL #S1913): Changes certain
eligibility criteria for TPAF, JRS, PERS, PFRS and SPRS disability
benefits; re