Unions arrive at county sewerage utility, workers and new director get contracts
BRIDGETON – Contracts are in place for two newly formed unions at the Cumberland County Improvement Authority.
The CCUA Board of Commissioners on Thursday approved agreements reached in November with the Communications Workers of America Local 1085.
Local 1085 separately represents a bargaining unit for two authority supervisors as well as a bargaining unit for all other workers. Workers already had ratified the agreements.
The unions were formed this year as a worried reaction by workers to discussions about monetizing the utility in a deal with a private equity firm. That idea now is officially rejected, however.
Both CWA contracts are retroactive and effective from Feb 1, 2021 through December 31, 2023. The executive director contract is for five years.
Both contracts were approved without comment on 7-1 votes. Commissioner William Andre voted against approving both agreements.
The board also approved a contract for CCUA Executive Director Robert Carlson, who was appointed to head the regional sewerage authority in November. Carlson was the longtime resident engineer before taking over as interim executive director in July, following the resignation of Steve Errickson.
In another major personnel move, the board approved an agreement with the Bridgeton law firm Chance & McCann to take over as its solicitor in 2022. The firm replaces two other firms the authority has used separately for solicitor and labor counsel duties.
The board vote was 7-1 on hiring Chance & McCann, with member William Whelan voting no.
Whelan explained that he believed that the authority might be better served with a large law firm in the short term, given how turbulent 2021 was with legal and policy issues.
In other business, the board adopted its 2022 budget on a unanimous vote. The budget appropriates $7,799,628 for next year. That amount is $2,540,372 less than what the authority will spend this year.
Errickson said the decrease in spending reflects that the authority has paid off some bond debts and has fewer projects underway.
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At its November meeting, commissioners voted to change engineering firms for the new year. Consulting Engineer Services (CES) of Sicklerville replaces Pennoni Associates, although the latter company will keep working on projects already started.
CES President Norman Rodgers attended Thursday’s meeting. Rodgers expressed thanks for the contract award and that it would try to work closely with staff and commissioners.
The CCUA is based in Bridgeton, which hosts its treatment plant, office, and most of its ratepayers.
The authority also services parts of Upper Deerfield, Hopewell, Deerfield, and Fairfield townships, as well as a Fairfield trailer home park and the Federal Correctional Institution at Fairton.
Joe Smith is a N.E. Philly native transplanted to South Jersey more than 30 years ago, keeping an eye now on government in South Jersey. He is a former editor and current senior staff writer for The Daily Journal in Vineland, Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, and the Burlington County Times. Have a tip? Reach out at jsmith@thedailyjournal.com. Help support local journalism with a subscription.
This article originally appeared on Vineland Daily Journal: County sewerage authority OKs union contracts, director's agreement
