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The records are kept in the districts. When the Schundler administration demanded the records the cops refused to turn them over.

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The Police Fiscal dept is all civilian, including the head of the dept.

I agree with the "use it or lose it" policy especially regarding sick time. you are either sick or you are not. Of course, hourly employees need to be paid their overtime...although I do think someone needs to cut down on abuse and tie pensions to base salary not total compensation

YOU do not know what you are talking about. Get the facts. The police do not get paid for unused sick time and do NOT accrue sick time. Do not lump Jersey City police in with other municipal and state employees.

The bottom line : Most of these insane payouts for unused sick and vacation are going to Police and Fire retirees. The City continues to allow the Police and Fire Dept's to keep their own personnel records, for sick and vacation time usage, with no civilian oversight. It's a recipe for fraud and a bankrupt City.

Which is the policy in the private sector. Working in the public sector used to be a trade-off. You traded excellent job security for relatively crappy pay. Now public sector employees make in some cases 2X the private sector salary, and get benefits that nobody in the private sector can hope to get.


Pension worked fine when you retired at 65 and dropped dead at 67. Now, like GM, there are going to me more people drawing pension than putting money in. There was a study recently that stated NJ Pension system would be kaput by 2019, assuming an 8% return on investment. If this study is correct, then we will probably see the pension system go belly-up long before 2019 (since 8% guaranteed return is unlikely given the current economic conditions).

To make matter worse.. Social Security went cash flow negative this year.. years ahead of what the actuaries said it would.


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When people care more about Turkish Grills, it makes it easier for mass fleecing.

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Absolutely........have time in lieu for overtime to save money. The unused sick leave is a sham if you expect to get a payout on the unused portion........Sick days are for sick days only and annual leave holiday is exactly that....used during the year for your mental and physical health, and to get away from your job and have a break. Not to accumulate year after year.

Our local government is a self serving bunch and I hope Fulop puts an end to this greed if he is elected Mayor.

I place this sort of greed on par with AIG's bail-out from the Federal Government, only for those funds then to be used to pay-off commissions and bonuses for executive staff.

New Policy: Use it or lose it, and no overtime pay.

Jersey City wants to borrow $22 million so cost of giving retirees their contracted accrued benefits can be spread over five years

Saturday, October 23, 2010
By MELISSA HAYES
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Jersey City wants to borrow $22 million to cover payouts for unused sick, vacation and compensatory time to city workers who are retiring - a move that was only made possible in July when a state law was passed to allow these types of emergency appropriations.

The City Council is expected to introduce an ordinance Wednesday that would allow for the issue of notes to cover $22 million in severance liabilities due to retirements or layoffs. The city would have to pay back the bond over a five-year period.


Jersey City has seen a spike in retirements, particularly among police and firefighters, as the state Legislature considers a bill that would cap payouts for unused time at $15,000.

The Senate approved the measure, S-2220, 34-0-6 in September. Jersey City Sen. Sandra Cunningham and Union City Sen. Brian Stack voted for it. North Bergen Sen. Nicholas Sacco did not vote on the bill.

That bill is expected to go before the Assembly on Monday. Jersey City Assemblywoman Joan Quigley was among the 12 members of the Assembly Budget Committee who voted for the measure Monday, advancing it to the full body.

Jersey City owed more than $15 million in unused time during Fiscal Year 2010, which ended June 30, but structured the payments over several years, paying $8.4 million last year.

"When it became apparent that due to changes in state legislation there was an unprecedented number of retirements with significant payouts for unused terminal leave, the city immediately put in place a policy to pay the retirees with installments over a three-year period," city spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill said.

The city is transitioning to a calendar year and adopted a six-month transitional budget to cover July 1 through Dec. 31. That budget calls for another $8.4 million in payments to retirees. Even if no employees retire during calendar year 2011, the city still owes $6 million under its payment plan.

Morrill said by issuing special emergency notes to cover the payments the city can spread the burden over five years and reduce the impact on taxpayers.

"Taxpayers everywhere have had it with repeated reports of public workers retiring with six-figure payouts for unused sick leave," said Sen. Pamela Lampit, who sponsors the payout capping legislation. "This abuse of the public worker benefit system must come to an end once and for all."