Berkeley Police Dispatchers Working Without a Contract for More Than Two Years

Phones rang off the wall yesterday during Berkeley police dispatcher Jennifer Hawk's shift.

Fireworks complaints, first aid calls, arrests and domestic violence complaints filled her day and into the night, when she checked out at 10 p.m.

It was just another shift for Hawk, who is president of Local 448 of the Firemen's Mutual Benefits Association, the union that represents the dispatchers.

The contract the police dispatchers had with Berkeley Township expired in December 2008. And the two sides are still no closer to agreeing on a new one.

Negotiations have stalled, and the matter is now going to fact finding with the state Public Employment Relations Commission, Hawk said.

The dispatchers are asking for the same increase the police unions received - two percent for each year of the new five-year contract.

"Two percent for us is nowhere near what the police and higher administration make," Hawk said.

Starting salaries for dispatchers are from $25,000 to $26,000. The average salary for a dispatcher with experience ranges from $30,000 to $35,000, depending on how many years they have been on the job, she said.

Those who have been on the job for many years are "just starting to break into the forties," Hawk said.

The township's contract negotiator offered the union a step increase instead of a annual salary increase, which is not acceptable, she said.

"It's a little bit more money, but not much," Hawk said.

There are nine police dispatchers to man three shifts each day of the week, including holidays, weekends and states of emergency. It's not enough, Hawk said.

Police officers - who are short-handed themselves - often have to step in and help with dispatching, she said.

The dispatchers are "absolutely short-staffed," as are the police themselves, Hawk said.

Morale is "not too good," she said.

When the fireworks complaints started pouring in Saturday night, Hawk and the other dispatchers had to explain to angry residents that the police officers on duty had to prioritize calls.

"My answer was quite frank," she said. "We only have three officers in town."

The dispatchers plan to speak with local senior citizens' groups soon, Hawk said.

"We want to speak at the senior clubhouses within the next couple of weeks," she said. "We want to make it plain we want answers to the problem."

Paying attorneys to continue the contract fact-finding will only mean more legal expenses for the township, Hawk said.