4494 Broad Street Newark, New Jersey 07102-3230

WHEREAS, the parties represent as follows:

Township is the Township of Bernards in Somerset County, New Jersey.

NOW, THEREFORE, the parties agree as follows:

An Employee may authorize in writing to the Township Clerk his/her desire to have deductions made from his/her compensation for the purpose of paying uniform Association dues.
A check-off shall commence for each Employee who signs a properly dated authorization card, supplied by the Association and verified by the Township during the month following the filing of such card with the Township.
The Township shall remit all such check-off dues to the Association Treasurer on the 1^st day of January, April, July and October of each year.
The Association agrees that there shall be no discrimination, intimidation, restraint, coercion, harassment or pressure by it or its officers, agents or members against any Superior Officer who refuses or fails to execute an authorization card.
The Association shall indemnify and save the Township harmless against all claims, demands, suits or other forms of liability which may arise by reason of any action taken in making deductions and remitting the same to the Association pursuant to this Article.
Any such written authorization may be withdrawn at any time by the filing or notice of such withdrawal with the Township Clerk. The filing of notice of withdrawal shall be effective to halt deductions as of the January 1 or July 1 next succeeding the date on which notice of withdrawal is filed, in accordance with N.J.S.A 52:14-15.9e as amended.

The Association shall have the use of a bulletin board in Police Headquarters for the posting of notices relating to meetings and official business of the Association only.

The Association, its Officers, members, agents or principals will not engage in, encourage, sanction or suggest strikes, slowdowns, mass resignations, mass absenteeism, or other similar action which would involve suspension of or interference with normal work performance of the Police Department or of any Township Department.

The Township and its Township Committee will not engage in a lockout, or arbitrary, capricious or unreasonable actions.

The aggrieved Employee shall, within ten (10) calendar days after the

If the grievance is not resolved within seven (7) calendar days after said

The decision of the Arbitrator may be reviewed by a Court of appropriate

An appeal from a disciplinary determination shall not be part of this

by a preponderance of the evidence.

The complainant and Respondent may examine and cross-examine witnesses, retain counsel, offer evidence and obtain reasonable discovery.

The Hearing Officer shall issue a written decision within fifteen (15) days of

The wide ranging powers and duties given to the Department and its

The complete interrogation of the Employee shall be recorded mechanically. There will be no "off the record" questions. All recesses called during the questioning shall be recorded.
The Employee shall not be subject to any offensive language, nor shall s/he be threatened with transfer, dismissal, or other disciplinary punishment. No promise of reward shall be made as an inducement to answering questions.
If an Employee is under arrest or is the subject of an investigation, s/he shall be so advised that s/he is under investigation, and shall be given his/her rights pursuant to current decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court.
In all cases and at every stage of the proceedings, the Department shall afford an opportunity for the Employee, if s/he so requests, to consult with counsel, consultant, and/or his/her Association representative(s) before being questioned concerning any violation or complaint of any type, which may result in any action being taken against said Employee.
No complaint against a law enforcement Officer shall be investigated unless the complaint be duly sworn to before an official authorized to administer oaths.

B. Employees not scheduled to work shall receive two (2) hours

Attending to religious or civic voluntary charitable matters or duties, such as civic service clubs, fire or rescue squad conferences, or religious order services.
Attending funerals, graduation, marriages, or such of close friends or family members not provided for in the Funeral Leave Article or other such leave policy.
Personal time must be used in the year in which it is earned. Any time accrued and unused in the year earned may be used in later years for leave for the care of a newborn child, or a seriously ill family member, or for the adoption or placement of a child, or for their own serious health condition. Otherwise, accrued and unused Personal time will be paid as shown in the Incentive Payment on Retirement section below.

J. Incentive Payment on Retirement:

Eligible employees hired prior to December 31, 2011 will receive a cash payment based on the following criteria, however, the total maximum cash payout at retirement shall be the amount of the formula calculation for each individual as of December 31, 2015.

Eligible employees hired after January 1, 2012 must meet the same criteria as stated below, however, the total cash payout shall not exceed $15,000.

Upon retirement, the Township will make a cash payment of 50% of all sick leave earned, less the amount taken, excluding any credit for prior public employment that the employee may have received at time of hire. The employee is also eligible for payment of any unused personal time.

Payment will be based on the hourly rate at the time of retirement. If the number of hours worked per day changes during the employee's career, the calculation will be broken down to an hour unit rather than day unit.

In the event of the death of an Employee, all incentive payments to which the Employee was entitled will be paid to the beneficiary named under P.F.R.S. as well as accrued unused vacation or holiday pay and a payment of Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00) as specified in Article 17.

A Superior Officer obtaining an Associates degree or having two years' active military service with an honorable discharge shall be entitled to receive $500 per year; an officer obtaining a Bachelors Degree shall receive $1,000; an officer with a Masters Degree shall receive $1500. The Education Program shall also include compensation in the amount of $500 per year for employees who have obtained the equivalent of an Associates Degree (sixty-five (65) credits with at least one-half of the amount required towards the major in the four (4) year program. Major is defined as Criminal Justice, Police Science, Psychology, Public Administration or Human Resources, while enrolled in a four (4) year Bachelors Degree program in Criminal Justice, Police Science, Psychology, Public Administration or Human Resources. This payment shall be on an annual recurring basis and shall be paid for each applicable degree, noncumulative. These degrees will be in Police Science, Criminal Justice, Psychology, Public Administration or Human Resources. Payment shall be in equal installments to employees on regular pay days.
The Township shall reimburse each Superior Officer to the extent not otherwise paid by alternative governmental authorities, the following:
An amount equivalent to the purchase of books, supplies, and associated usual academic fees and expenses required by the college or university and incurred by the respective Superior Officer
An additional amount equivalent to the full tuition charge imposed by the college or university, up to a maximum of the charge for two three 3) credit courses or $500 per semester, whichever is greater.
C. Payment shall be made within thirty (30) calendar days after the certificate is filed with the Township Administrator showing grades of C or better.

The Township shall obtain standard insurance policies insuring against false arrest, malicious prosecution, and liability for acts and omissions within the scope of Police employment in sufficient amounts and from reputable insurance companies. Copies of said policies shall be delivered to the Association within thirty (30) calendar days hereafter and within thirty (30) calendar days after any amendment, revisions, or alterations thereto.
The Township shall provide a death benefit of Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00) in the event of an Employee’s death. The Township shall provide for a self-funded accidental death or dismemberment benefit covering the lives and limbs of all Superior Officers for at least Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00) for losses in the line of duty. The beneficiary for these benefits shall be as P.F.R.S. designates, unless otherwise designated by the Superior Officer, in writing.

A. Sergeants, Lieutenants and Captains:

Years Employed Vacation Leave (Hours)
1 But Less Than 3 Years ⁸⁰
3 But Less Than 5 Years 104
5 But Less Than 10 Years 120
10 But Less Than 15 Years 144
15 But Less Than 20 Years 160
Years 168Years 176
Years 184
Years 192
Years 200

The vacation period shall be scheduled by the Chief of Police, who shall consider Employee choice and seniority. Said period shall normally be scheduled in the year that it is earned. Employees may take single tour vacation segments with the approval of the Chief of Police, whose approval shall not be unreasonably withheld.
Employees who terminate employment shall be paid for their accrued, unused vacation time at the rate equivalent to their average weekly salary as provided herein.
Employees hired before January 1, 2012 may accrue up to two (2) years of unused vacation leave. When reaching the two (2) year threshold, no more vacation leave will accrue until some vacation time is used.
Employees hired on or after January 1, 2012 may accrue up to one (1) year of unused vacation leave as long as New Jersey law stipulates this one year limitation.

Sergeants

Each Employee shall be entitled to one hundred ten (110) hours

Employees who work less than an average of forty (40) hours in any single work week shall not be eligible for overtime pay unless excused in writing by the Township.
The Township reserves the right to require Employees to work reasonable overtime, and the Chief of Police shall exercise reasonableness in assigning overtime duties equitably among the Superior Officers who are qualified to perform the required overtime work by utilizing a rotating seniority roster for purposes of distributing extra-duty and off-duty work.

Employees assigned Detective duties shall receive One Thousand

Captains and Lieutenants

Said remuneration shall be paid in equal installments on regular pay days.

Employees with the rank of Lieutenant or Captain have the longevity factor built into their base salary. The amounts in Paragraph B do not apply to them.

Effective Effective Effective Effective Effective
1 /1/12 7/1/12 7/1/13 7/1/14 7/1/15

Captain	$136,071	$138,520	$141,083	$143,905	$146,783
Lieutenant	$125,062	$127,313	$129,668	$132,262	$134,907
Sergeant	$108,081	$110,026	$112,062	$114,303	$116,589

POLICEMEN'S BENEVOLENT TOWNSHIP OF BERNARDS
ASSOCIATION
LOCAL NO. 357

(SUPERVISORS)

__________________________ __________________________




WITNESS: WITNESS



__________________________ __________________________

"Approved" means it has been presented to and authorized by the Administrator before registration or applications are submitted.

Registration fees for the conferences will be paid in full by an approved Township voucher.

Cost of hotel lodging will be paid in full by the Township at the designated "conference hotels" or equivalent lodging. This will include appropriate gratuities for service personnel of the hotel. Efforts will be made to utilize economy rated rooms where offered and available. Advantage will be taken of conference discounts and, where feasible, room sharing.

Meal expense will be reimbursed by the Township on a per diem basis, not to exceed Forty Dollars ($40.00) per day. Unit allowances for meals will be Twenty-Five Dollars ($25.00) for dinner, Nine Dollars ($9.00) for lunch, and Six Dollars ($6.00) for breakfast. Meal functions that are part of the conference ticket (e.g. breakfast meeting, luncheon meeting, or banquet) will be paid in full and the unit amount deducted from that day's per diem meal expense. If less is spent on one meal, then more may be spent on another, but the day's maximum reimbursement will not exceed Forty Dollars ($40.00). This does not imply that across-the-board Forty Dollars {$40.00) per day will automatically be reimbursed for meals without documentation of reasonably attainable receipts or, if receipts are unavailable, notation of the actual cost of the meal. Where the day's meal expense does not exceed Forty Dollars ($40.00), only the actual cost will be paid.

5. Transportation cost to and from the conference location will be paid by the Township. This will be common carrier transportation on economy class ticketing. Reasonable transportation from terminal or station to hotel will also be paid. Permission may be granted by the Administrator to use a personal vehicle for transport with reimbursement at the current mileage reimbursement rate or the cost of common carrier transportation, whichever is less. Tolls and parking fees will be reimbursed by the Township where automobile travel is authorized.
Reimbursement for expenses will be provided upon submittal of a signed voucher properly documented with reasonably attainable receipts summarized on and attached to a travel expense form and filed WITHIN THIRTY (30) DAYS AFTER COMPLETION OF THE TRAVEL.
An advance of seventy-five percent (75%) of the estimated costs, including meal and miscellaneous expenses, may be provided upon written request submitted one week in advance of the Township Committee meeting previous to the departure date, so a resolution authorizing the advance can be adopted in accordance with law.