On August 3, 23 members of UFCW Local 152 who work for the borough of Bradley Beach in Monmouth County, N.J., ratified a new contract by an overwhelming margin. The Bradley Beach workers are employed in the borough’s public works department, municipal court, police dispatch, and code enforcement. The borough of Bradley Beach approved the ratified agreement on August 8.
The three-year contract addresses a pressing issue in the public sector in New Jersey—health care contributions. Under Governor Chris Christie, Chapter 78 was passed into law, which called for an increase in public sector workers’ contributions toward their health care and pensions. Despite this hurdle, UFCW Local 152 successfully negotiated a reduction in members’ health care contributions to 20 percent by the third and last year of the agreement.
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