Bill Text: NJ A2945 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes permanent police and fire interest arbitration cap.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-03-24 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Labor Committee [A2945 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-A2945-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman MARIA RODRIGUEZ-GREGG
District 8 (Atlantic, Burlington and Camden)
Assemblyman CHRISTOPHER J. BROWN
District 8 (Atlantic, Burlington and Camden)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes permanent police and fire interest arbitration cap.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning arbitration awards in police and fire cases and amending P.L.2010, c.105.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 4 of P.L.2010, c.105 (C.34:13A-16.9) is amended to read as follows:
4. This act shall take effect January 1, 2011[; provided however, section 2 shall apply only to collective negotiations between a public employer and the exclusive representative of a public police department or public fire department that relate to a negotiated agreement expiring on that effective date or any date thereafter until April 1, 2014, whereupon the provisions of section 2 shall become inoperative for all parties except those whose collective negotiations agreements expired prior to April 1, 2014 but for whom a final settlement has not been reached. When final settlement between the parties in all such negotiations is reached, the provisions of section 2 of this act shall expire. In the case of a party that entered into a contract that expires on the effective date of this act or any date thereafter until April 1, 2014, and where the terms of that contract otherwise meet the criteria set forth in section 2 of this act, that party shall not be subject to the provisions of section 2 when negotiating a future contract].
(cf: P.L.2010, c.105, s.4)
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill makes permanent the two-percent cap on base salary increases in arbitration awards in police and fire contract disputes.
Specifically, P.L.2010, c.105 imposed a cap of two percent on base salary increases in arbitration awards in police and fire collective negotiation agreements that expired between the effective date of the act, January 1, 2011, and April 1, 2014. The two-percent cap applies to arbitration cases that expire during this period, even if the arbitrator's award was not rendered until after the "sunset" date of April 1, 2014. Parties that entered into contracts that expire during the sunset period are not subject to the two-percent cap when negotiating future contracts under this current law.
This bill removes the sunset provision for the purpose of making all future interest arbitration awards in police and fire contract disputes subject to the two-percent cap.
