Photo by Alexis Tarrazi

EAST RUTHERFORD (June 23, 2009, 4 p.m.) — Borough police and the governing body have guaranteed four years of labor peace with the extension of the current labor contract, providing the rank and file annual increases through 2013.

After an extended closed session Tuesday, June, 16, the East Rutherford Borough Council voted 5-0 to ratify a memorandum of agreement between the two sides. East Rutherford PBA Local 275 has also endorsed the agreement. Essentially, the act extends the present four-year agreement, which had been due to expire Dec. 31, for another four years.

Though salaries will increase over the life of the contract, Mayor James Cassella praised the PBA for helping his municipality sift through difficult fiscal issues in 2009, making “give backs” in the original contract that will help save the borough approximately about $165,000 for a six-month period.

The action does not forego the semi-annual 3-percent increase, built into the pre-existing contract. According to language in the memorandum, it “shall be delayed in its implementation” until Dec. 31. Cassella maintained this will give the borough flexibility in developing the 2009 budget.

The borough budgeted $3,440,000 for police salaries during 2008, one of the larger line-item increases. The council has yet to introduce the 2009 municipal budget.

“I do want to thank the PBA for their efforts working with the governing body to help us with our budget problems,” said the mayor, singling out PBA President Chris DeCarlo and Chief Larry Minda for their efforts. “We are in the same position, and we discussed different ways as to how we might be able to do it.”

Councilman Joel Brizzi agreed. “I feel that police officers are  looked at as takers by some; this agreement clearly demonstrates how the ERPD is willing to give back,” Brizzi wrote in an e-mail. “They gave back financial items that were do to them based on their current contract. This agreement will give us the ability to meet a large amount of our budget shortfall without having to do layoffs or furloughs. I am proud to have served on the negotiating committee that was able to come to this agreement. ... I am pleased with the outcome overall.”

Under the agreement, lower semi-annual increases (2 percent, instead of 3 percent) will kick in starting Jan. 1 for the remainder of the contract, through 2013. For six months during 2011, from January through June, each officer will receive an additional $1,350 increment, defined as an “across the board equity rate adjustment.”

“We’re satisfied with the contract extension,” said Officer Felix Ragozzino, delegate for Local 275, in reference to the lower increases that will kick in. “We only wanted what officers in other departments in our area were receiving, and we were able to negotiate a fair settlement with the borough.”

Ragozzino noted that the union will be giving up its annual clothing allowance. “At $850 per officer, per year, giving up the clothing allowance is a significant concession,” Ragozzino claimed.

The contract modification, however, also takes into account the fact that seven rookie officers, just about finished with their training at the Bergen County Police and Fire Academy, will be hitting the streets.

These new officers will require East Rutherford to pick up at least $290,000 in new annual salaries — solely because borough officials expected they’d need added manpower based on the massive Xanadu commercial development.

Now, it is increasingly looking like Xanadu’s opening will be delayed until late 2010, though neither the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority nor the developer have made an official announcement.

If this delay becomes official, Ragozzino told The Leader those officers will remain and perform other duties in the interim. “But the mayor and council would not have gone ahead and added the officers without the concessions,” Ragozzino said. “You have to anticipate that Xanadu will open by some time in 2010.”

Under the proposed 2009 salary ordinance, rookie officers out of the academy will start earning weekly salaries equivalent to $41,946 for an entire calendar year.

On Dec. 31, they would get a retroactive increment bring their total to $43,205 for this year. When they entered the academy last winter, the trainees’ salaries were $35,313.

If the same ordinance is adopted following a public hearing next month, senior officers will receive $103,672 through Dec. 31 (with an increment setting their 2009 salaries to $106,782).

Subsequently, their annual salaries — and all other officers depending on seniority, will increase at 2 percent every six months for the next four years. Annual salary ordinances would have to be adopted over the remaining life of the contract.