By Donald Wittkowski
Sea Isle City has begun negotiations on a new contract for its police officers and paramedics, but no details have emerged yet.
The old three-year deal for the police department expired Jan. 1. The new contract talks include rank-and-file officers, sergeants and senior officers in the department.
Police Chief Tom McQuillen has a separate employment agreement with the city and is not part of the union negotiations.
Sea Isle’s police department includes 23 officers and four dispatchers.
At the same time, the city is negotiating a new union contract for its paramedics. Sea Isle began employing paramedics in 2017 when it created a professional emergency services unit to replace the city’s volunteer ambulance squad.
City Council President Mary Tighe said the city is willing to work out a deal with the police and paramedics union that is fair to both sides.
“It has to be something that won’t affect taxpayers too much,” she said in an interview Friday. “We’re willing to hear what they have to say.”
Tighe said salary steps will be a key issue in the police contract. Under the old contract, the salary range in 2017 for rank-and-file officers started at $40,000 and climbed up to a maximum of $93,120. Sergeants hit a maximum of $99,308 under the salary steps for 2017, according to a copy of the contract posted online.
For the paramedics, full-time and part-time employment is shaping up as one of the major issues in the contract talks, Tighe said.
Union representatives could not be reached for comment Friday.
