STATE OF NEW JERSEY
215th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2012 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman MICHAEL PATRICK CARROLL
District 25 (Morris and Somerset)
SYNOPSIS
Repeals interest arbitration of labor disputes for police and firefighters.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel
An Act concerning police and fire interest arbitration and repealing P.L.1977, c.85 and various sections of P.L.1995, c.425.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The following are repealed:
P.L.1977, c.85 (C.34:13A-14 et seq.); and
Section 1 and sections 4 through 9, inclusive, of P.L.1995, c.425 (C.34:13A-14a and C.34:13A-16.1 through C.34:13A-16.6, inclusive).
2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to all negotiations for new agreements, renewals of existing agreements, and reopener provisions of existing agreements occurring after the effective date of this act.
STATEMENT
This bill abolishes “binding arbitration” in collective negotiations for police and fire departments. The bill repeals P.L.1977, c.85 (C.34:13A-14 et seq.), the statute that provides for the compulsory interest arbitration of labor disputes involving police and firefighters and their employers. The bill also repeals P.L.1995, c.425 (C.34:13A-14a et al.), the “Police and Fire Public Interest Arbitration Reform Act,” the statute that revised P.L.1977, c.85 in response to two companion New Jersey Supreme Court decisions: Hillsdale PBA Local 207 v. Borough of Hillsdale, 137 N.J. 71 (1994); and Twp. of Washington v. New Jersey State Policemen’s Benevolent Assn., Inc., Local 206, 137 N.J. 88 (1994).
By repealing these statutes, the bill eliminates the requirement that labor disputes arising out of collective negotiations between public employers and police and firefighters are subject to a binding procedure for the resolution of such disputes. The repeal of binding arbitration is intended to help protect the interests of the local property taxpayer. The effective date specifies that the bill’s provisions apply to all negotiations for new agreements, renewals of existing agreements, and reopener provisions of existing agreements occurring after the effective date of this act.