Essex County ratifies settlements for sheriff supervisory and prosecutors’ units

The Essex County Board of Commissioners on a voice and roll‑call vote approved a six‑year memorandum of agreement for sheriff supervisory personnel and a separate two‑year contract for rank‑and‑file prosecutors and investigators, county officials said.

Jerome Saint John, County Council, outlined the terms of the settlement and described the process that led to the agreements, saying the MOA is consistent with the outcome of binding arbitration and noting some earlier arbitration awards were vacated. “They were very gracious about it, and they were easy to work with,” Saint John said, describing labor leaders’ cooperation during negotiations.

Under the prosecutors’ contract presented to the board, there will be a 2% increase in 2024 and a 2% increase in 2025, Saint John said. Commissioners asked whether the county had set aside funds for retroactive salary payments; Saint John replied that necessary funding has been prepared to pay retros.

Commissioners also discussed timing and logistics for processing payouts and pension recalculations. County counsel and administration staff said salary retros generally can be processed within about 45–60 days, with pension recalculations taking longer because of state processes. Commissioner questions about whether the unions had formally voted to accept the agreement were answered in the affirmative during the discussion.

The agreements include provisions for restoring incumbents to salary positions comparable to where they would have been had earlier offers been accepted, but several years of retroactive raises will be paid only as described in the settlement, Saint John said. The board moved and approved both items by roll call.

The board also discussed that one remaining bargaining unit had not yet executed an agreement and that administration expected to present that contract at a subsequent meeting.