The Plainsboro Township Committee adopted an ordinance January 27 setting the 2010 salaries for its police officers and white collar employees.
Last March, the township ratified agreements with the two unions representing the employees and subsequently approved an ordinance adjusting the salaries to reflect the collective bargaining agreement.
The new ordinance is a formal implementation of those salaries for 2010, officials reported during the Township Committee’s year-end meeting on December 29.
The agreements with Policemen’s Benevolent Association Local 319, and the Communication Workers of America Local 1032 enabled the township to save money through reduced healthcare costs, officials said.
The PBA agreement covered between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2010, and included changes to administrative operations regarding how compensatory and vacation time is taken. The PBA represents police personnel with the ranks of patrolman and corporal.
At the core of the agreement are economic issues including salary and healthcare adjustments. The salary increase for the three years in the
contract for the members of the bargaining units is 4 percent for all three years. In exchange, the township receives some concessions that will reduce healthcare costs.
Formerly, employees had a deductible, and there was no distinction made between in-network providers and out-of-network providers. They were reimbursed 100 percent once they had met the deductible.
Under the new agreement, once employees reach the deductible, they are reimbursed 100 percent for in-network visits, but only 80 percent for those that are out-of-network. Under the former system, these employees also did not have co-pays on their prescription medications.
Under the new agreement, prescriptions require a $20 co-pay, while office visits require a $10 co-pay. There is also a $25 co-pay for emergency room visits. Deductibles have also increased from $100 to $300 for single coverage and from $200 to $600 for family coverage under the new agreement.
With regard to salary, Plainsboro also added a step to the salary guide that will save money as it relates to new hires. Salaries were frozen in 2009 and will continue to be in 2010 for new officers.
In 2009, the starting salary for a police officer was $49,638, and anyone hired during that time as a new employee will keep that salary through 2010.
The township has also saved money as it relates to the agreement it drafted with the Communication Workers of America, which covers the years 2006 through 2010. In this agreement, there is no step guide, as the union covers a variety of white collar employees, from bookkeepers to EMTs. Instead, there are maximum and minimum salaries established for each position.
Under the agreement, the increase in the salary for 2006 and 2007 was 3.5 percent, and the increase for 2008 was 3.25 percent. For 2009 and 2010, the increase is at 4 percent. In return for the larger salary increase in 2009 and 2010, the union agreed to give up access to the traditional healthcare plan for its members, which is the more expensive of the two plans.
