2015 NJ STATE PBA COLLECTIVE BARGAINING SEMINAR
Collective
impact
Best of the best combined to make
this year’s seminar one of the best ever
n BY JOSHUA SIGMUND
n PHOTOS BY ED CARATTINI JR.
The Who wasn’t singing about labor best
practices in its 1971 classic “Bargain,” but
those who attended the 2015 Collective Bar-
Attorney Stuart Alterman talked about
“Law Enforcement Officer’s Rights.“
46
NEW JERSEY COPS
n
MARCH 2015
gaining Seminar Feb. 4-6 at Caesar’s in
Atlantic City can certainly connect with the
track’s climactic last wail:
The best I ever had.
Indeed, between the membership
turnout, the caliber of the presenters, the
breadth of data disseminated and the residual vigor possessing attendees returning
home to spread the gospel, this year’s seminar rates nothing short of the best one the
PBA has ever had.
“It amazes me every year the outpouring
of support I get for the seminar,” professes
NJ State PBA Labor Guru George O’Brien.
“There’s such a want and a need for knowledge to keep up to date: What are the politicians doing? How is it going to affect
members in their individual workplaces? So
we not only cover collective bargaining; we
cover law enforcement officers’ rights, pension… the whole broad spectrum of law
enforcement. (The Seminar) is a tremendous resource for anybody on the job that
wants to better themselves or know how to
handle themselves.”
Even as contemporary hot topics are frequently added to the curriculum - this
year’s event covered the Federal Labor Standards Act, a topic not discussed in 15 years
that was added to the 2015 roster based on
a flood of questions from the membership the PBA Collective Bargaining Seminar has
followed the same basic formula for each of
its 28 years, O’Brien emphasized. Still, the
Seminar’s fluid consistency seems to be the
perfect blueprint for refreshing success.
“Until 1986, the State PBA was a fraternal
organization,” explained O’Brien. “(That
year) we started to become more aggressive
and began morphing into the labor organization that we are today. As the needs elevated, we met the bar at every turn and we
were successful beyond belief.”
Some of that success becomes apparent
when looking at who participated in this
year’s seminar. From an attendee point of
view, a whopping 168 bargaining units registered for this year’s event. That includes
eight SOAs.
“They are becoming more proactive in