By Joanne Degnan, Managing Editor
UPPER FREEHOLD — Nonunion employees who turned out at a recent Township Committee to plead for 2 percent salary increases that were budgeted, but not granted, remain hopeful that the governing body will have a change of heart.
”The employees were encouraged that the committee appeared willing to revisit the salary increase,” Construction Official Ron Gafgen said Monday. “We have to assume that this will happen sometime in the near future.”
Mr. Gafgen, whom the workers designated as their spokesperson, read a prepared statement to the Township Committee on June 21 asking it to reconsider its earlier 3-2 decision to withhold their planned pay raises.
Employees have lost between 8 to 12 percent of their salaries due to furloughs (township offices remain closed Fridays) all while doing more work, Mr. Gafgen told the committee. He said 12 full and part-time employees have retired or been let go since 2009, increasing the work for the employees who are still here.
”We work hard for the taxpayers,” Mr. Gafgen told the committee. “Whether you guys approve the raises or not we’re still going to keep working hard. We would appreciate it if when the opportunity arises in the budget for raises that you would consider it.”
Mayor LoriSue Mount and the rest of the Township Committee said the raises were withheld for economic reasons; the decision was not a reflection of the employees’ work performance. They told the workers June 21 they would take another look at their salaries, but three weeks later the matter is still unresolved.
”There’s been no further conversation,” Township Business Administrator Dianne Kelly said on Monday when asked for an update.
Mrs. Mount, one of three committee members who voted against the raises in May, said Tuesday that while there’s been no resolution, the matter isn’t closed.
”We are still planning on having this discussion and such discussion could possibly result in salary increases for municipal employees,” she said.
However, the mayor also reiterated her position that just because money is put into a budget for salaries, it doesn’t necessarily have to be spent.
During the June 21 meeting, Ms. Mount discussed the chain of events that led to the adoption of the budget and the subsequent decision regarding pay raises.
When the budget was drafted, “it was decided, after much discussion, to factor in a value equivalent to a 2 percent salary increase and that at a later date we would evaluate when or if a salary increase would be adopted,” Ms. Mount said.
The $5 million municipal budget, with $16,000 for raises, was adopted April 5. However, after a closed executive session May 17, the majority of the committee, citing economic concerns, decided not to grant the raises. Township Committee members LoriSue Mount, Bob Faber and Stanley Moslowski voted no. Only Steve Alexander and Robert Frascella voted in favor of the 2 percent raises.
Mr. Moslowski said residents are complaining to him that “things aren’t getting done” around town because of the shortage of staff and the furloughs. He suggested the $16,000 budgeted for raises might be better spent addressing the staffing issue. He also said that in his view, any employee whose health benefits premiums increased in 2012 had received a de-facto raise anyway because the township pays the lion’s share of that expense.
”The employees do a good job, you come to work every day, and every two weeks you get a paycheck,” Mr. Moslowski said. “People whose health benefits costs increased got a raise.”
Mr. Faber said he objected to employees receiving holiday pay if a holiday falls on a Friday when municipal offices are closed. Under the furlough system that has reduced some employees’ pay and hours to four days a week, they don’t normally work Fridays so they shouldn’t be paid if a holiday is on a Friday, he said.
”Some of the employees, not all of you, we need to go over a few other things about the amount of days off,” Mr. Faber told the workers.
Dr. Frascella said he thought the employees should be given raises.
”I understand the concerns of some of my fellow committee members about the economy and people not getting raises, and people doing bad, but as an employer we have to understand you can’t just keep kicking employees,” he said.
Mrs. Mount told the township employees they should not view the decision about the raises as a personal criticism of their work.
”I clearly can understand how all you could perceive that the no vote on the 2 percent increase is looked upon as a reflection on your performance or appreciation,” Mrs. Mount said. “I can assure you that is not the case. This should have clearly been conveyed back to you.”

