Rockaway Twp. mayor hopes to resolve PBA contract impasse; police reps remain skeptical

ROCKAWAY TOWNSHIP − As a bitter stalemate continues between the administration and police who have been working on an expired contract for 18 months, conciliatory words were offered by Mayor Joseph Jackson and PBA 287 representative Michael Hatzimihalis at Tuesday's council meeting.

The two sides, however, still appear to be far apart, while a mediation hearing on the matter is scheduled for Friday.

Noting a historically adversarial relationship between police and the governing body, Hatzimihalis said during the meeting's public comment section that, "the PBA is here trying to establish a good working relationship and an open line of communications."

"Now more than ever we need to stand together to work together effectively and successfully," said Hatzimihalis, representing the 53 officers on the force, including four cadets in training.

Jackson followed by saying he was pleased to hear the PBA was willing "to work with the township."

"A lot of things have been put out on Facebook," Jackson said, referring to the extended conflict becoming a frequent topic of social media debate from both sides. "But I want to move forward and build a bond between Rockaway Township and the PBA."

Following the meeting, Hatzimihalis remained skeptical while discussing the latest developments with about a dozen officers who attended the meeting.

"The mayor comes across as conciliatory and he wants to meet with us, yet then he doesn't want to meet with us," said Hatzimihalis, who focused his criticism on Business Administrator Patricia Seger,

Seger has led the negotiations along with the township labor attorney. "[Jackson] wants her to deal with it," Hatzimihalis said.

"What he said to me is 'let this go to mediation. I don't want it to go to arbitration.' " Hatzimihalis recalled. "So why can't you just sit down with us? We'll come to an agreement together and if it doesn't work, then we'll go to mediation. That's how it usually works."

Seger said she comes from a family of police officers but "there is a difference between what they need and what they want."

She singled out the PBA representatives she said took a month to negatively respond to a contract offer in November and have not answered her emails about a followup meeting. Jackson said that the offer remains on the table.

"We met with them six times," Seger said. "The township never once has not come to the table when we've been asked."

"I just wish it wouldn't become public, but the council and administration have a fiduciary responsibility for our residents and we have to find the medium to make everybody happy," she said.

"What she said is completely inaccurate," Hatzimihalis said after the meeting. "We met two or three times and she kept changing the contracts on us. One day [in November] we thought we were very close and she called our delegate to meet. The next day, she changed it. That's when things went awry."

The two sides have not met since. Hatzimihalis said the delay in responding to the November contract offer was due to the holidays and the PBA attorney being on vacation. After that, there was "nothing to negotiate" while the PBA waited for a ruling on a grievance it filed with the state Public Employees Relations Commission.

'Finger-pointing and name-calling'

That grievance, which claimed Seger had frozen "step" raises for 11 officers, led to a February PERC ruling that granted interim relief to the PBA and an order to the township to "immediately, retroactive to December 2021, place all eligible unit employees on the appropriate step reflected in the salary schedule in the 2018-2021" collective bargaining agreement.

"I won't lie, I'm disappointed that it hasn't been resolved yet," Jackson said. "But I'm confident, especially after hearing what the PBA president had to say tonight, that we will come to an agreement that is mutually beneficial for the township and the members of the PBA."

On Wednesday morning, however, the mayor issued a statement responding to the post-meeting comments by Hatzimihalis. Those comments "reflected the same inaccuracies, finger-pointing and name-calling that has characterized the tactics of the PBA, under the direction of the PBA president, that made negotiations unproductive to the point that mediation became necessary," Jackson said.

He added: "The administration has consistently negotiated in good faith and has presented the PBA leadership with contract proposals equal to, or better than, successfully negotiated police contracts around the state."

"It was divisive and deceptive for the PBA president to take a conciliatory and cooperative approach in his public statement at the council meeting, but then after the meeting resort to the same old politics," Jackson wrote. "In doing so, he did a disservice to PBA members and Rockaway Township residents."

William Westhoven is a local reporter for DailyRecord.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com 

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This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Rockaway mayor hopes to resolve PBA contract impasse; reps skeptical