The Jersey City Council is expected to vote on a new memorandum of understanding with the municipal supervisors association after reaching a settlement related on how overtime pay will work going forward.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
” … During the State of Emergency, the City joined the JCSA in establishing that employees who work during the state of emergency covering the City, as declared by the governor of New Jersey, will receive (sic) double pay for all hours worked during the state of emergency under Executive Order 103 Murphy 2020,” the resolution says.
“And whereas the City paid eligible members of JCSA double time for hours worked between March 9, 2020, and July 6, 2020, and then ceased payment which was contested by JSCA due to the executive order not having been repealed … Following arbitration under PERC Docket No. AR-2021-414, the City and the JCSA negotiated a settlement in good faith.”
According to a copy of the agreement, Jersey City Supervisors Association employees will receive double pay during a weather or terrorism related State of Emergency.
City spokeswoman Kim Wallace-Scalcione said the saga lasted for years due to trying to reach a balance between fair compensation for their workers and giving taxpayers a break.
“While we value our city employees and want to ensure fair pay, the administration must also strike a balance for the taxpayers who would foot the bill to double workers’ pay during the entire 3-year-long State of Emergency declared by the Governor due to the pandemic,” she wrote.
“Fortunately, everyone came to an agreement, and contract terms have been updated in case the city faces such unprecedented circumstances in the future.”
In May 2018, Local 245, a Jersey City municipal employees union, sued for double time pay they believed they wee owed for working during a week-long state of emergency declared by Gov. Phil Murphy (D) back in 2018.
About three years later, the Superior Court of New Jersey Appellate Division reversed a lower court’s decision, indicating that Jersey City municipal workers union employees who worked during the aforementioned 2018 state of emergency were indeed owed double pay.
The Jersey City Council’s caucus meeting at City Hall, 280 Grove St., began at 4 p.m. and their regular public session will be on Wednesday at 6 p.m. Both stream live via Microsoft Teams.
