Though the township's firefighters union has lost a court battle, it has won a victory in its fight for new safety measures.
A state appeals court has thrown cold water on the union's request to seek arbitration on a grievance about manpower levels in the fire department, that arose after a May 2020 apartment building fire that left more than 30 tenants temporarily homeless. The ruling comes after the township argued the level of staffing in the department is not subject to arbitration and the court agreed.
But while the union lost the court ruling, the union president said Edison's new administration has granted what the union sought, including additional safety measures such as now requiring three firefighters on a ladder truck.
Robert Yackel, president of International Association of Firefighters Local 1197, said he met with Mayor Sam Joshi who investigated and agreed with the union's request.