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(this updated piece has more information)

Millions spent by government on longevity pay, a perk for city workers and management

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
on November 26, 2012 at 3:03 AM,
updated November 26, 2012 at 3:05 AM


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Top longevity payments in 2011:

Police Chief Tom Comey: $25,134
Fire Chief Darren Rivers: $25,134
Deputy Police Chief Peter Nalbach: $23,385
Deputy Fire Chief Michael Terpak: $22,597
Deputy Police Chief Hugh Donaghue: $21,855
Deputy Police Chief Robert Kilduff: $21,855
Deputy Police Chief Ronald Sprofera: $21,855
Chief of Fire Apparatus Mark Ciaston: $20,625
Deputy Fire Chief Anthony Della Rosa: $20,625
Battalion Chief Charles Donaghue: $20,625
Battalion Chief James Drennan: $20,625
Battalion Chief Kenneth Drennan: $20,625
Battalion Chief Robert Forenza: $20,625
Battalion Chief Peter Griese: $20,625
Battalion Chief Charles Lind: $20,625

How each public entity awards longevity pay:

Jersey City: Varies by employee.

Firefighters, police officers and management: 2 percent of a worker?s base pay in the fourth year of employment, increasing every three or four years until topping out at 16 percent starting with their 28th year.

For firefighters hired after May 2011, the percentage tops out at 12 percent, and the increases come at a slower rate.

Managers hired after November 2010 receive no longevity pay.

Non-public safety workers: $200 after five years of service and an additional $200 every subsequent five years, topping out at $1,200 after 30 years.

Jersey City Board of Education: $1,000 in longevity pay after a worker completes 16 years. After 20 years, the worker gets an additional $1,000, followed by an additional $1,600 after 25 and 30 years, and then an additional $2,000 after 40 and 45 years.

Jersey City Economic Development Corporation: No workers receive longevity pay.

Jersey City Free Public Library: Management hired in 1985 and before receives 16 percent of their gross pay annually, and the percentage decreases by 2 percent three or four years at a time, while management hired in 2010 and after receive nothing.

For non-management union staff, workers hired in 1983 and before receive $1,200 annually, an amount that decreases by $200 four or five years at a time, while workers hired in 2009 and after receive nothing.

Jersey City Housing Authority: Executive staff, management and employees hired after 2009 receive nothing. The rest receive $300 annually after five years, $500 after 10 years, $700 after 15 years, $900 after 20 years and $1,000 after 25 years.

Jersey City Incinerator Authority: Management hired before 1989 receive 2 percent of their base salary starting in the fourth year, and the percent increases every three or four years until topping out at 16 percent in the 28th year. Union workers hired before 1989 receive an extra $200 every five years until the 25th year. All employees hired after 1989 receive no longevity pay.

Jersey City Parking Authority: No workers receive longevity pay.

Jersey City Redevelopment Agency: $300 longevity bonus to workers for every five years of employment completed.

Municipal Utilities Authority: Starting at five years, workers get a 2 percent increase based on their base salary, a percentage that increases two percent every five years until it tops out at 10 percent after 25 years.


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full JJ piece...

http://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/index ... pent_by_government_o.html

Jersey City taxpayers shelled out $15 million last year for longevity pay boosts

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
on November 25, 2012 at 6:11 PM,
updated November 25, 2012 at 6:38 PM

When Jersey City resident Kirsten Green stood before the Board of Education at its Aug. 30 meeting, she had a simple question.

"What is longevity pay?"

Green had perused a proposed new contract for a top school district administrator, and was puzzled at the mention of this little-known perk.

Green is likely not the only one.

A long-standing tradition among public employees, longevity pay costs some public entities millions of dollars a year, and yet it receives scant attention, with foes of government waste focused more on sick time benefits or overtime payouts.

Longevity pay comes in the form of bonuses to employees for continued employment with a public entity. The longer an employee works, the larger the longevity bonus is.


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