Garwood Council Votes, Again, To Eliminate Longevity Pay

For the second time around, Garwood council has voted to eliminate longevity pay for non-union municipal employees who have worked for the borough for at least five years.

Longevity pay was granted to employees with a 3 percent increase on base salary after their fifth year on the job. The pay would increase by percentage every five years after that.

but vetoed by Mayor Patricia Quattrocchi. The mayor's veto would have set up the council for another vote to possibly override her, but because the ordinance was passed at the last meeting of the year, the council was forced to again introduce the ordinance to the newly reorganized council.

At the ordinance's first public hearing in December, Quattrocchi voiced her reason for opposing the repeal. (See also her veto letter in our gallery.)

"Having worked in the field of employment for over 25 years, I'm very sensitive to what people have agreed to when they're hired," said Quattrocchi. "I do not believe in taking away things from employees that they have agreed to."

The decision was again reached by the same 4-2 vote that was cast in December, with Councilmembers Sara Todisco and Victor DeFilippo as the objectors.

When asked if she would again veto the ordinance, Mayor Quattrocchi said, "I have to think about it."

New Jersey statue dictates that when a mayor receives an ordinance to be signed that he or she, within 10 days of receiving the ordinance from the clerk, must either sign it or deliver it back to council with a letter stating his or her objections to it. If Mayor Quattrocchi objects and returns the ordinance to council with her statements, the council will then vote on the ordinance again at the next meeting and must pass it by a two-thirds majority.

The eight employees who currently receive longevity pay – four front office employees and four police dispatchers – will not lose any raises they've earned to date (the pay will be folded into their salaries at the current level they receive it), but will not get any more longevity bumps in pay. New hires and borough employees who have yet to reach their five-year anniversary as a municipal employee will not be eligible for the benefit.

Also on the agenda was a competing ordinance regarding longevity pay. Mayor Quattrocchi proposed this ordinance, which would eliminate longevity pay for new hires but would allow those receiving longevity pay (and current employees in line to receive it after five years of service) to be grandfathered into the benefit. Under ordinance 12-03, only new hires would be denied longevity pay.

Council then voted on the competing ordinance and it failed by a 2-4 vote with Councilmembers Victor DeFilippo and Sara Todisco voting in favor of it.

and tonight was no exception. After the competing ordinance was introduced, Mathieu questioned the mayor as to why she proposed the competing ordinance and didn’t go through the Laws & Licenses committee.

Quattrocchi stated that she has the right to propose an ordinance on her own, and Borough Attorney Joseph Triarsi concurred. Councilman Timothy Hak also defended the mayor.

"I think the mayor tried to put up another idea," Hak said to Mathieu. "You say you want to vent things and talk about them, well she put forth another idea and it was a very commendable idea."

Mathieu also asked the mayor to not veto the ordinance again. "Now that ordinance 12-02 has carried twice, please do not veto it," Mathieu said. "You’ve gone on record and we know where you stand on it. On the off chance that somebody may not show up at the next council meeting or somebody would be subjected to a tremendous amount of pressure....I don’t think that’s appropriate."

At the last meeting,

After the meeting, Quattrocchi spoke to Patch about the acrimony. "Contrary to what has been stated the process was not interfered with in anyway," Quattrochi said.

Todisco said she was disappointed by the vote but is happy that both ordinances were presented and discussed. "There were lessons learned in the process and hopefully things can move more smoothly next time," said Todisco.

Todisco has also proposed a system to review borough employees and decide raises in place of longevity pay. Mayor Quattrocchi has asked the Laws & License committee to look into Todisco's proposal. Committee Chairman Keith Sluka said he hopes to discuss the proposal with the committee quickly and perhaps present a solution at the next council meeting.

Garwood resident and council meeting regular Bruce Paterson said he was not happy with the infighting on the dais.

"I have to take exception to the attacks here and the councilman giving the mayor the third degree," said Paterson. "It doesn't sit well with me. There should be a little more decorum and diplomacy."