By ROBERT LINNEHAN | The Cherry Hill Sun
Six junior police officers were laid off this past Thursday after the Cherry Hill Policemen’s Benevolent Association Local 176 turned down the latest contract offer from the Cherry Hill Township. The township had given the local union a deadline of 10:30 a.m. to accept the offer, or the layoffs would be made.
The PBA is also negotiating on behalf of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 28.
Before the layoffs, there were 135 officers in the department, according to officials. The junior officers had joined the Cherry Hill police force in 2008.
The township offered contracts to the officers that closely mirrored the deal brokered with the Cherry Hill Superior Officers Association last month, Chief of Staff Dan Keashen said. The contract offer had the officers contributing to their health-care benefits and nominal pay increases after a pay freeze for some time.
Originally, when the negotiations began Keashen said the PBA put an offer on the table that would give officers a 4.5 percent yearly increase in salaries. The organization has since made two other offers that brought the yearly increases down, but still not to a level that the township can afford, he said.
“From our point, the mayor and administration believed we put a fair deal out there considering the economic circumstances and current fiscal crisis throughout the state,” he said. “Mayor Platt has a tremendous amount of respect for our law enforcement and the job they do on a daily basis. With that said, at the end of the day the township has to have the ability to pay out the contract.”
The SOA agreed to a three-year deal that includes a 2 percent bump in salary for 2011 and a 2.5 percent bump for 2012.
Officers in the SOA agreed to pay 2.5 percent of their salaries into their health-care benefits. Currently, all public employees of Cherry Hill contribute to their health-care premiums.
“This was a painful decision. The last thing we ever want to do is lay off police officers,” Keashen said.
In a press release, the PBA pledged to continue bargaining in good faith with the township and to try to procure the best deal possible for its officers.
“Ultimately the decision to terminate these officers rests solely with the township. PBA Local 176 and FOP Lodge 28 stand 100 percent behind our terminated officers and will continue to work diligently with these officers during their time of need. We are also doing everything possible to get them reinstated while moving forward with the contract negotiations,” said the PBA in a statement.
“The PBA appreciates the continuing support we have received from our residents during these trying times.
“In spite of our decreased numbers, the men and women officers of the Cherry Hill Police Department will attempt to maintain the high level of service which our residents have come to expect and certainly deserve.”
Calls placed to PBA representative Tim Tedesco and a number given on the press release were unreturned.
