The people who keep Bradley Beach running by dispatching emergency personnel, cleaning trash and fixing infrastructure, and caring for the city’s day-to-day needs have been working tirelessly without a contract for more than 19 months. While all of the remaining Council Members are sympathetic and supportive of the Borough’s workers, Mayor Larry Fox refused to let them be involved in the negotiation process. Please sign the petition and tell Mayor Fox to negotiate a contract NOW!

Earlier this month, UFCW Local 152 created lawn signs to display in the Borough of Bradley Beach and the surrounding areas asking for the public’s support during this trying time.

The signs caught the attention of Star News Group and The Coast Star, a local news website detailing our members’ struggle and the tension rising between UFCW Local 152 and Mayor Larry Fox.

Here is an excerpt from the article:

“These workers deserve to be treated with the dignity and respect that they deserve. They’re not asking for anything more from their town other than a fair and just contract,” Local 152 President Dan Ross Jr. told The Coast Star, who added the workers have continued to work regardless of the contract struggle. “Why Mayor Fox won’t come back to the table and give these guys the contract they deserve is mind-boggling.” (…)

Ross said, “There’s no reason for us to go to fact finding. The parties can meet. The parties can negotiate a contract and the parties can get this done without getting fact-finding involved.” (…)

Despite their pleas, council members have not been involved throughout the negotiation process. Councilman Al Gubitosi, who has taken to public meetings to inform the public and at the June 26 meeting stated “I continue to be very concerned with the lack of progress at our Local 152 negotiations…The mayor’s unwillingness to include a council representative at the bargaining table is inexplicable.”

Read the full article in this week’s edition of The Coast Star, which hit newsstands today, or read the digital version online on their website.