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Dispatchers tell Egg Harbor Township committee contract talks must address pay and staffing
Summary
Local 9-1-1 dispatchers and the Teamsters urged the township committee to resolve contract negotiations and raise wages, citing understaffing, turnover and public-safety risk; multiple chiefs and first responders voiced support.
Union leaders and multiple 9-1-1 dispatchers urged Egg Harbor Township leaders during public comment to reach a contract agreement that raises dispatcher pay and addresses staffing shortages.
Abby Ortiz, president of Local Teamsters 331, said the union is negotiating with the township and asked the governing body to listen to frontline dispatchers. "We are in negotiations and we're doing our best on our side and so is the township," Ortiz said, asking the committee to hear employees' concerns.
Crystal Torres Colon, who identified herself as a 9-1-1 dispatcher, told the committee the center has been out of contract for roughly six months and that there have been "no step increases, no wage adjustments" during that time. She said the unit provides shared services to multiple municipalities and that low pay has made recruitment and retention difficult: "We are asking for recognition of the vital role that 9-1-1 dispatchers play in this community, and we are asking for the commitment to ensuring that our wages become competitive so we can retain the skilled professionals that we already have and attract the new ones that we desperately desperately need right now."
Other dispatchers gave operational detail and examples: Caitlin Garthas described call volumes, staffing levels and turnover, saying the center handles more calls and responsibilities than neighboring jurisdictions while remaining among the lowest-paid dispatch centers in the county. She provided starting-salary figures from past years and said several recent hires left, stressing the public-safety implications of persistent vacancies.
Multiple chiefs, volunteer rescue and fire leaders, and residents voiced support for the dispatchers and urged the committee to prioritize retention. The committee acknowledged the urgency; a township official said good-faith negotiations are underway and meetings were being scheduled with the negotiating team.
No formal committee action or vote on pay occurred at the meeting; the administration said it expected to pursue negotiation dates in the coming days.
