WWW.NJCOPSMAGAZINE.COM ■ DECEMBER 2014
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For the benefit of Local 400…and all members
This month I would like to start by welcoming
the 142 officers of the Salem County Corrections
Local 400. Besides being out newest Local, it is
our first in Salem County. We’re proud to have you
as part of the NJ State PBA.
When I heard that Local 400 was officially on
board, it made me think about all the great benMarc Kovar efits the NJ State PBA offers active duty law
enforcement officers.
Executive
And it also made me think back to when I first
Vice-President
got involved in the union and how the State PBA
loomed as the big brother/big sister or mother
and father to all Locals and provided us with the
tools and training to be successful. We knew we had to do the
work, but if we did, the State PBA would always be there to help.
Among the many benefits, Local 400 will immediately feel the
impact of the PBA network. Now, we have always welcomed
these officers, as we have officers from any agency. But prior to
becoming a PBA Local, the Salem County Corrections Officers
were looking in from the outside. The shade was always open, but
now they are in the room.
And in the room, they will find access to the State Corrections
Committee. This will be one of the biggest advantages having
officers from almost every correctional facility in the state in one
room each month when the Corrections Committee meets.
Local 400 members can simply turn to the left or right and find
two members who can shed light on the problems they are having in Salem County. And the Corrections Committee will benefit from having input from Local 400.
Our new brothers and sisters will also find out about one of our
most important programs, the PBA Legal Protection Plan (LPP),
which includes more than 500 lawyers that the NJ State PBA
Board of Delegates has screened and approved. When I was State
Delegate for Passaic Local 14, we found this to be one of the greatest benefits. The LPP gives our members the ability to be represented during investigations and court proceedings that can
have a great impact on their careers, these lawyers save jobs.
I also want to take this opportunity to extend an official invitation to Local 400 members – and all PBA members across the
state – to attend the NJ State PBA Collective Bargaining Seminar
Feb. 5-7 in Atlantic City. There is nothing like this event, spending three days with attorneys, accountants, medical experts, pension and benefits experts and others to get the solutions to the
problems. When I became a delegate, every time I had a problem
I could refer to the information I received at the Collective Bargaining Seminar for a solution. The Collective Bargaining Seminar is where I learned to negotiate and what our rights were, and
sometimes more importantly, were not.
We can also promise the new Local 400 members they will
never be on their own. Beyond the Local association, they have
an enormous support network from of other members, Locals
and County Conferences. And we will get the numbers out for
them.
Now, the best way for Local 400 members to reap the benefits
of being part of the State PBA is to join all our members in getting
active. They can join us in sending letters to our selected legislators, working the phone banks and getting out the word for our
candidates during the elections in 2015 and doing everything we
can to make our presence felt. The primaries for the NJ Senate
and Assembly races are in June, so we have to start thinking about
it and getting involved right now. We have strength in numbers,
and those numbers just grew by 142. Welcome, Local 400.
I would also like to join President Pat Colligan, and on behalf
of the State PBA Executive Board, wish you and your families a
safe and happy holiday season. d
N E W D E L E G AT E S S W O R N I N
The new delegates sworn in at the Nov. 18 State Meeting in Atlantic City are: Barbara Kane, Gloucester City Local 40; Ryan
Schwartz, Glen Ridge Local 58; Brian R. Leech, Montville Local 140; Jason Kelly, Wall Township Local 234; Robert Wagner,
Manasquan Local 284; James Hoffman, Hopewell Local 342; Eric J. Wolf, Sr., Southern Camden County Local 362.