Jefferson PBA Rep: 'We Are Paying for State's Mistake'

Jefferson Township’s delegate to the Police Benevolent Association said that the police union is “very upset” about the State Senate's passage of a bill Monday aimed at 

“Passage of this bill means that the average police officer in Jefferson will have to pay an additional $6,000 to $8,000 toward their benefits and pension,” said Detective Richard Geib. “I don’t know where that money is going to come from for most of these people.”

The bill, which passed 24-15 and must get through the Assembly before landing on Gov. Chris Christie's desk, makes various changes to how public employee retirement systems operate and to the benefit provisions of those systems. It's the result of a compromise between Christie and Democratic leaders, and has been staunchly opposed by unions.

“The bottom line is that we will be paying for the state’s mismanagement of the pension system, and that’s just not fair,” Geib said.

However, H. Ronald Smith, president of the Jefferson Township Board of Education, said the additional monies being required of public workers (such as teachers and other school district employees) were justified.

“Times are tough,” Smith said. “In this economy, public workers should support their benefits. We all have to tighten our belts, and school budgets are no different.

“I think that for health care benefits, they should have made it the same percentage for all employees across the board, rather than lower paid employees paying less,” he continued.

Dr. Kathaleen Fuchs, superintendent of Jefferson Township schools, declined to comment on the bill.