LINWOOD – The city of Linwood reached agreement with Mainland PBA No. 77 rank and file and superior officers, approved a promotion in the department and set new fees for detail work. The contract will cover 2022-27.
“We are pleased that the labor agreement has been settled,” Police Chief Steven Cunningham said after the Linwood City Council meeting March 23. “Prioritizing the wellness and morale of our department is crucial in serving our community effectively and settling our labor agreement was another step in that direction.”
Cunningham called the agreement “fair and responsible” and noted that a six-year deal provides stability and predictability in budgeting for the city and department and cuts the time and uncertainty of more frequent negotiations.
Ptlm. Michael Fountas Jr. was promoted to the position of sergeant effective March 9.
Fountas has been with the department since 2016.
He started his career in 2010 with the Sea Isle City Police Department, then in 2013 was hired by the Camden County Police Department.
He served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves from 2014-20 with the Golf Company 2nd Battalion, 25th Marines and 4th Marine Division as an infantry squad leader. Fountas was deployed to Afghanistan in 2018.
He serves on the Atlantic County Swat Team and is assigned to the patrol division.
During the City Council meeting, President Ralph Paolone asked to have the resolution promoting Fountas pulled from the consent agenda so that it could be considered separately, then cast the lone vote against it.
Paolone said his vote had nothing to do with the officer, noting Fountas was the best candidate, but said there was a flaw in the contract that expired at the end of 2021 and he believes it should be corrected.
Contacted after the meeting, Paolone explained that more steps were added to the pay scale in the contract that expired at the end of 2021 and that due to several retirements and promotions, Fountas was jumping several steps with his promotion.
He said it was anticipated that those being promoted to sergeant would have the requisite experience so that the pay increase would be more in tune with what’s normal across the department.
“All of a sudden we’re having a sergeant come from the rank and file that had not been on the highest step, and his salary will increase substantially in one day,” Paolone said.
He said he wanted there to be three steps for sergeant in the new contract so that if someone is promoted before their pay was equitable, they would not begin at the highest wage.
Paolone said he has served on City Council for 14 years and chaired the public safety committee but had never seen a similar situation.
“It was the principle of the thing for me,” he said. “My personal thought is, someone’s not worth that kind of money in one day. It should take some time to get to that level.”
Finally, ordinance 4-2022 increases the hourly fee for police traffic detail — when officers assist road construction crews at job sites to ensure the safety of motorists and proper traffic flow — to $85. A second reading on the ordinance is scheduled for April 13.
By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff