10
NEW JERSEY COPS ■ AUGUST 2014
Michael Freeman tells NJ COPS how he went
from the heat of the night to the State PBA E-Board
It’s been a bit of a long, strange trip for Summit Local 55 State Delegate Michael Freeman from leaving the pharmaceutical business 20 years ago to becoming the most recent addition to the NJ State PBA Executive Board. Born
and raised in Summit, he spent 17 years working the night shift and then as a detective in the Investigations Bureau
and once had to investigate a former teacher. He has become the type of cop and member who people listen to
when he talks, so with that deep, resonant voice of his, we let Freeman do the talking…
tract negotiations came up and I put together
a presentation for the city council for a new
schedule. I liked being in the situation to sell
things to the city council and represent the
guys in trouble. Then it came time to get a
contract done, and I thought it would be
good for me to learn.
So what was it like doing the night shift
for 17 years?
I always worked midnights; it was more fun.
Breaking up the bar fights and big parties
were more interesting to me than writing
parking tickets. The night shift is when the
cooler heads are needed. And you meet a
much more interesting group of people at
night.
What did you learn about negotiating
contracts?
How did you wind up becoming a cop?
It’s a strange story. I never really wanted to be
a cop. My former brother-in-law was an auxiliary in town, and he was thinking about taking
the test to become a cop. I used to work for a
pharmaceutical company and there was talk
about it closing. So we went to take the test
because it was something to do together.
Well, I got the job and he didn’t. But he’s a cop
in Newark now, so he’s happy.
How long did it take to get used to
being a cop?
It clicked fairly quickly. I’ve always liked to help
people and solve problems; that’s my thing. In
Summit, helping people is not about crime as
much as problem solving and conflict resolution. Going to people’s houses and helping
solve problems is a good thing for me. As long
as you can communicate and be level-headed, you can help.
How did you get into helping Local 55?
That’s another interesting story. At the beginning of my career, we had a deputy chief who
was a bit of stickler. The best way I can say it is
that he didn’t really like certain people and
held them to a very high standard. Well, three
or four months in, another guy got into a bit of
a bad spot. He didn’t show up for court on
time, and I saw him in the parking lot so he
asked me to write in the report that I saw him
on this date at this time. No problem. In short,
the deputy chief told me I was going to lose
my job if I filed that report. He was calling me
a liar. My mother and my grandfather were
huge union people, so I went to the union and
asked if they could help me out. I found somebody I could trust, and they told me to hand in
my report. I handed in my report. The deputy
chief wasn’t pleased, but my report was accurate.
Did you have another close shave that
turned you into a union guy?
The deputy chief wanted to fire me again for
having a beard. I had a medical note that my
face was broken out and I couldn’t shave. Our
delegate told me to see the city doctor and
see if he agrees. I have not shaved to this day.
The delegate was Freddy Mondi. He was the
kind of guy I wanted to be like, the go-to guy,
the guy you could trust.
So how did you go from there to succeeding Freddy in 2004?
I just started to get involved in events and in
my third year I was elected financial secretary.
I started writing grievances, and it turned out
I had a knack for writing them. After that, con-
One of the administrators, who is now with
the League of Municipalities, taught me to
pay attention to every line of the contract.
And you have to understand what both sides
need. Both sides need to come away feeling
like they got something. I think the best way
is to understand what is possible and don’t
try to go for the impossible. You have to give
a little to get something that is truly important.
How did you get involved with the
State PBA?
At the end of my first term as delegate, Tony
Wieners appointed me to the Collective Bargaining Committee. That got me interested
in what’s possible, and after talking to people, I wanted to be more of a resource. I got
involved with Ken Burkert and the critical
incident management. I do it with my Local
all the time. I want guys in trouble to know
they are able to come to me.
And now how do you feel about being
named to the State Executive Board?
It’s quite an honor, so I will do all I can to help.
I only sleep four-five hours a night, so I have
the time and much-needed support of my
wife, Tarajoy.. Pat’s desire to get more people
involved