The Hoboken City Council will vote on a resolution this week urging the administration and the city’s collective bargaining units to renegotiate labor contracts that have long-term financial implications.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“The purpose of this resolution is simple: bring everyone back to the table and work together,” Council Vice President Phil Cohen, the 5th Ward representative and the primary sponsor of the measure, said in a statement.
“Hoboken is facing a serious fiscal challenge, and we owe it to both our taxpayers and our municipal employees to look at every responsible option before considering reductions to our workforce.”
The local legislation, co-sponsored by Council President Ruben Ramos, 1st Ward Councilman Paul Presinzano – who suggested renegotiating the deals last week – as well as Councilmen at-Large Joe Quintero and Steve Firestone, also calls for “a “healthcare plan evaluation.”
“I have spoken with Mayor Jabbour, and she is fully supportive of this effort. The Mayor shares the view that the best path forward is to bring everyone back to the negotiating table to find solutions that protect our taxpayers while also making a long-term investment in the people who make this City run every day,” Cohen added.
“No one wants to see another round of layoffs in our City. Our goal must be to find solutions that allow us to continue delivering the high level of services Hoboken residents expect while also ensuring the long-term financial health of our City.”
At the beginning of the month, Jabbour revealed that the Mile Square City is facing a $17 million deficit, which would lead to an over 20 percent tax increase without make any cuts or finding any additional revenue streams.
Then last week, the city put out a survey for residents asking what municipal services they feel should be prioritized in the upcoming municipal spending plan, both as HCV first reported.
Cohen added that over the past two years, a number of collective bargaining agreements were negotiated by the prior administration that imposed significant long-term obligations on the city’s budget.
One contract alone is projected to cost the city more than $6 million in a single year by 2031, illustrating the scale of the financial commitments Hoboken must now manage.
Last year, the governing body approved an eight-year agreement for the Hoboken Policemen’s Benevolent Association (PBA), as well as a five-year deal with the Hoboken Police Superior Officers Association (PSOA).
“I am grateful to Council President Ramos, Councilman Presinzano, Councilman Firestone, and Councilman Quintero for joining me as co-sponsors of this resolution,” Cohen concluded.
“We all understand that we have a responsibility to continue investing in this great city while also making the difficult but necessary choices to keep Hoboken fiscally sound going forward.”
Jabbour came out in support of the resolution early Monday afternoon.
“I appreciate Council Vice President Cohen for bringing this idea forward and helping advance an important discussion. By encouraging the City and our union partners to return to the table, this proposal creates an opportunity to work collaboratively on solutions that address Hoboken’s fiscal challenges while supporting our workforce and taxpayers,” she said in a statement.
“I appreciate the leadership shown by Council President Ramos, Council Vice President Cohen, and Council members Presinzano, Quintero, and Firestone as sponsors, and I look forward to continuing our work together to ensure Hoboken is on strong financial footing.”
Later in the day, 2nd Ward Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher pointed out that she abstained on the vote on the PBA contract, unlike Jabbour and most of the sponsors of this measure.
“Last year, during an election year, the council approved an eight-year police contract with long-term, above market increases before we even had a city budget. I did not support it and I was the only council member who raised concerns and urged us to wait until we understand the city’s financial picture,” she said.
“Council members Jabbour, Cohen, Quintero, and Ramos said nothing and voted yes. I fully support efforts to renegotiate where it makes sense for taxpayers, but the hypocrisy of this resolution speaks for itself.”
The Hoboken City Council will convene for their virtual caucus meeting today at 5 p.m. and their regular session will be at City Hall, 94 Washington St., at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. Both will be streamed live on the city’s YouTube page.
Editor’s note: This story was updated with a comment from Hoboken Mayor Emily Jabbour and then later 2nd Ward Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher.
