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Rahway public works employees say they did not organize rally and press council for fair contract
Summary
Department of Public Works employees and multiple residents urged the Rahway council to resolve stalled contract negotiations and pay DPW workers more fairly; the city representative said negotiations are ongoing and denied a 1%‑only offer.
At the June 8 meeting a Department of Public Works staff member told the council that DPW employees had not organized or participated in an outside rally and asked not to be used for political aims. “We did not organize, participate in uh or affiliate ourselves with this or any rally,” the staff member said, and reported that contract negotiations were ongoing with a meeting scheduled for the week.
Multiple residents told the council the DPW had been without a contract for more than a year and complained that pay increases for other top officials appeared much larger than offers to DPW employees. Alan Levy cited personnel records he obtained and said some top officials’ salary records looked inconsistent; a resident calling for a fair contract said DPW workers “are not making quarter of a million dollars a year. Most of them are making less than six figures.”
City representative Mr. Lindolie told the council that negotiation details are not discussed in public and stated the assertion of a 1% offer “is just not true.” He urged that contract negotiation is a labor-management process while the council decides negotiating representatives and signs final agreements.
No formal council action to change negotiators or to adopt a settlement was recorded on June 8; councilmembers thanked DPW employees and said they expect negotiations to continue.
