Fight over returning to school in June could lead to legal battle between N.J. district, union
Updated May 13, 2021;
The dispute in Paterson over requiring teachers to return to classrooms on June 1, one week before a limited number of students would arrive, is not letting up.
School district officials in the state’s third-largest city say sufficient coronavirus safety protocols will be in place. The teachers’ union is citing purported shortfalls observed by educators on building walk-throughs last month in arguing for keeping the buildings closed for the remainder of the school year.
Both sides are awaiting a ruling on an unfair labor complaint filed by the teachers’ union with the New Jersey Public Employment Relations Commission.
How We Found Pricey Provisions in New Jersey Police Contracts
ProPublica and the Asbury Park Press scoured hundreds of police union agreements for details on publicly funded payouts to cops.
Feb. 8, 5:01 a.m. EST
A provision found by ProPublica and the Asbury Park Press entitles senior retiring officers in Carlstadt borough to a retirement payout. (New Jersey Public Employment Relations Commission, highlight added by ProPublica)
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published.
Calls for police accountability have included demands to examine the public money spent on law enforcement and the ways officers are disciplined. The Asbury Park Press and ProPublica examined the collective bargaining agreements that govern the relationship between unionized police forces in New Jersey and the towns where they operate.
How the Police Bank Millions Through Their Union Contracts
The public funds six-figure “sick day” payouts, $2,500 “perfect attendance” bonuses and lucrative “extra duty” assignments identified in a ProPublica, Asbury Park Press analysis of New Jersey police union contracts.
Feb. 8, 5 a.m. EST
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published.
This story was co-published with the Asbury Park Press, a member of the ProPublica Local Reporting Network.
One town’s police contract guaranteed a retiring lieutenant $121,000 for unused sick time. Another’s promises officers six months pay with no work required as a parting retirement benefit. In another contract, cops get paid $109 an hour for side gigs like monitoring traffic at construction sites.