WWW.NJCOPSMAGAZINE.COM ■ DECEMBER 2014
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2014 Valor Awards – Local of the Year
they are plunging, or in suits and formalwear at a PBA banquet
like the Valor Awards.
“We started doing a lot of stuff in the community to show
that we were not just corrections officers in an institution,” says
Kareem Pritchett, the Local 105 Vice President who works in the
Juvenile Justice Commission. “We are actually putting in work
in the community to show that we’re trying to help keep people out of jail, as well as keeping the public safe.”
Lopez believes that the foundation of Local 105 is that members have found a way to consistently and constantly motivate
each other as officers and supporters of the union who have
each other’s backs. Gass adds that, “We look at ourselves as a
family. We have all walks of life, and we’re definitely a tight-knit
group that will fight for better health benefits, pension benefits
and salary. We will do as much as we can to look out for each
other. We work in an institution so we are our brothers’ keepers.”
Being in lockstep is the gateway to being able to wield the
political influence an organization of 5,700 can, and needs to,
for the benefit of the State PBA. Lopez is proud of his members’
compliance with the State PBA mandate for all members to be
registered voters and says it is one more way they live and
breathe Local 105.
That hasn’t been lost on the State PBA leadership and certainly contributed to selecting 105 as Local of the Year.
“They used to be a huge Local that never seemed to engage
in both the political and union processes,” President Colligan
said. “But Lance and the E-Board have engaged in extensive
campaign to change their perception and they are maximizing
their opportunities.”
Following Lopez’ lead, every event, every dinner, every conversation is an opportunity for Local 105 to earn more for its
members – more respect, more help, more benefits, more
salary – and to support the State PBA. Those of you who saw
them en masse at State PBA Day in Trenton in October know
how much of a presence the 105ers can be. And you should
expect to see them like this in many other places many more
times.
“This is just the beginning,” Pritchett asserts. “Who knows
where we’re headed. Hopefully, it will continue on and bring us
to the honor and integrity and pride we live by.”d