The rat is back: Sheriff's officers continue protest against 'salary freeze'

By Jonathan Lin/The Jersey Journal
December 18, 2013 at 12:12 PM

Officers from the Hudson County Sheriff's Office who one week ago protested what they called a "pay freeze" by the county administration continued their protest again this morning in front of the Hudson County Brennan Courthouse.

A group of eight officers gathered in front of the courthouse with the same giant, inflated rat as last time, but equipped it with a different sign reading "HAPPY HOLIDAYS! (Hudson County Executive) Tom DeGise & (Hudson County Administrator) Abe Antun. Thanks for wrecking ours!"

Last week, the officers told The Jersey Journal the crux of their complaints had to do with a "sunset clause" the county administration is trying to include in their new contract.

Bill Schulz, 46, of Middletown, who has worked for the HCSO for 21 years and formerly served as P.B.A. Local Chapter 334's president, explained the "sunset clause" would eliminate a new officer's ability to make steady progress toward a top salary in a fixed period of time.

"The sunset clause (stops) you from moving anywhere on the payscale unless you're already at top pay," Schulz said.

For the past 11 years, new officers hired by HCSO were legally guaranteed to go from making a $24,000 starting salary to a $84,000 top salary over a nine-year span, Schulz said.

That guarantee would disappear if the union accepted the offer on the table, he said, which is why the union refused to do so.

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