A large group of crossing guards came to Monday's City Council meeting to rally for a raise, but it turned out the increase was already in the works.
The group first stood in line to wait for police to open the doors to Municipal Court at 7:30 p.m., then had to wait in a hallway while the City Council finished its executive session. Once inside, the guards filled the benches. In public comment on resolutions and ordinances, one guard came to the microphone to read a statement, but was briefly rebuffed by Council President Bridget Rivers, who said he had to speak at the end of the meeting. However, Councilman Cory Storch pointed out that a proposed ordinance for seasonal, hourly and temporary workers included "school traffic guards."
The speaker said guards had not received a raise for six years, and their job was so dangerous, he said, that when a guard was absent, police did not want to fill in.
Storch asked what the guards currently make and was told the range was from $11 to $14.30. The proposed new range is from $10 to $19, Storch noted. With that news, most of the guards went home.
The crossing guards have asked for better pay in the past. In 2009, they said they had not had a raise for 15 years.The proposed ordinance increasing their pay range will be up for a vote at the May 11 meeting., 8 p.m. in Municipal Court, 325 Watchung Ave.
--Bernice
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Rashid Abdul-Haqq's last suggestion to the City Council was to change responsibility for traffic safety at road construction sites from off-duty police paid $75 per hour to crossing guards. They are more likely to be city residents and it would provide more employment instead of concentrating it in the hands of a few policemen who already make upwards of $100k per year. Spread the wealth and keep it in the city.
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