New PBA contract raises salaries, changes schedule
BY VINCENT TODARO Staff Writer

EAST BRUNSWICK - Police have a new four-year contract that includes average costof living increases of about 3.8 percent per year.

The Township Council voted last week to accept the agreement, which is retroactive to the beginning of the year, Township Business Administrator James White said.

The contract includes a change in how the workload is structured. White said the township is experimenting with a schedule whereby residents would see two police patrol squads on the road for seven-and-a-half hours per day.

"They'll enjoy the benefit of two complete squads that will be on the street at the same time," he said.

In order to accommodate that overlap, police officers will work longer hours on a certain day, but will get an extra day off during the week.

"It's still the same amount of hours during the year," White said.

During the Sept. 24 council meeting, Police Detective Robert Kearstan said that having extra police on the road would be useful during high traffic times.

The new contract also includes an easier schedule for officers who take on additional training, and a smoother form of transition between shifts.

"We're very pleased with it," Kearstan said of the new deal.

White said it was the PBA that brought up the idea of the schedule change, and he and Mayor William Neary agreed to try it on a two-year basis. At that point, officials will evaluate the results before proceeding.

White told the Sentinel that the PBA looked at other towns and the schedules used by their departments to determine whether such structures would benefit East Brunswick police and residents.

The contract includes a 3.75 percent costof living increase for 2007, and 3.9 percent increases each of the next three years, White told the Sentinel. However, the deal requires police to pay more toward their health insurance coverage.

During the meeting, White said the contract differs from previous ones in that the township will pay less to officers who are still going through the police academy. In fact, the township will save $10,000 per officer.

Because several officers are expected to retire over the period of the contract, the township is anticipating a significant cost savings.