nj waterfront commission police
Acting Solicitor General Brian H. Fletcher, whose office argues the governments position for the Justice Department in cases before the Supreme Court, acknowledged in his brief last month that New York could still sue New Jersey state officials in federal court over the Waterfront Commission and seek an injunction. New York then entered the conversation, arguing that workers move back and forth between the two states ports and that it makes sense to keep the current compact intact. Former New Jersey state Sen. Raymond Lesniak, a Democrat who had been the biggest champion of New Jerseys exit from the bi-state agreement, said the Waterfront Commission isnt needed because it was created to solve a problem that it has largely solved. We are reviewing all options, Hochuls press secretary, Hazel Crampton-Hays, said in a statement. Local journalism needs your support. [15][16], The report's existence was due, in part, to two whistleblowers, Kevin McGown and Brian Smith, who both resigned and have since filed a discrimination complaint against the agency. New Jersey wants the Supreme Court to let it out of a commission that has fought mob corruption since 1953. New York, though, has yet take New Jersey to court over the states decision to end their partnership. Citizen Inquiries-. Our journalism needs your support. Solicitor General, as well some states including Texas, have since sided with New Jersey. Yes, he said in an interview, there are still some signs of organized crime around the harbor, but hardly to the extent that it was controlling the waterfront and not to any greater extent than organized crime is involved in any other activity in the state of New Jersey.. January 18, 2023. And unlike in most cities, NYC residents have a unique opportunity to weigh in regularly on their neighborhoods actions and developments, thanks to, After the revelation last month about a provocative letter sent by some Gowanus Superfund Community Advisory Group (CAG) to EPA heads, some thought that the next monthly meeting would be filled with fireworks (see our last issue). The state has been in court for nearly four years seeking to pull out of the commission, after New Jersey legislators voted in 2018 to walk away in the wake of increasing political pressure by the industry and the dockworkers union. The Labor Department said the commission has been successful in making daily hiring and training fairer on the docks, which has stymied crime there. Now, in the era of container shipping, about 80 percent of cargo goes through New Jersey. The two-member commission with one commissioner from each state oversees licensing and inspections at the Port of New York and New Jersey and has its Ted Sherman | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. After being in limbo for nine months, New York v. New Jerseyalso known as the New York-New Jersey Waterfront Commission casewill soon be litigated in the U.S. Supreme Court, with oral arguments being made beginning February 27, 2023. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. The State Police, tasked with the role of taking over the enforcement role of the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor on March 28, has asked some of agencys staff if they want to work for them. Phil Murphy. The effective end of the commission or the beginning of a fight with New York would come after Murphy files a formal notice to exit the commission, which he plans to do. Washington, D.C. U.S. Supreme Court justices spent nearly an hour poking holes in the points made by a lawyer representing New York during oral arguments Our withdrawal is long overdue, said New In light of the complete transformation of the harbor since the 1950s, the New Jersey Legislature determined that there was no longer a continuing need for bi-state regulation of the overwhelmingly New Jersey-centered port activity, and that New Jersey should resume state regulation of its docks, the state Attorney Generals office wrote. In 2018, on his last day in office, New Jersey Gov. Subscribe at nj.com/supporter. The 70 Soon after, New Jersey went back to the drawing board to determine how it could pull out of the compact, primarily looking to shift policing of the port and background checks to the state police, which already reportedly plays a similar role in the states waste management and casino industries. Container ships are docked at the Port of New York and New Jersey in Elizabeth, N.J. New York sued New Jersey over the Garden States unilateral effort to shut down the bistate agency, reports in which they claim to work more hours than there are in a week, handing over law enforcement operations on the New Jersey side of the port to the New Jersey State Police, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. [12], On August 11, 2009, the New York State Inspector General Joseph Fisch issued a report of his two-year investigation of the Waterfront Commission. New Jersey obviously thinks it can, New York obviously doesnt think it should be able to. Whatever kinds of regulations, of course, that wed have today would have to reflect the kind of new reality of labor and commerce on the ports, which are significantly different from the 1950s, said Peter Catapano, history professor at City Tech, on Dec. 9 during the Brooklyn Waterfront Research Centers breakfast talk webinar, titled What is the New York-New Jersey Waterfront CommissionAnd Do We Still Need It? The three-person panel discussed, in part, the origins of the Waterfront Commission, its legacy, and the debate over whether the Commission should continue. So, there has been tension over the past couple of decades about whether the Waterfront Commission should still exist in its current form or whether it should exist at all.. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson signaled that she was unconvinced that the 70-year-old agreement between the two states was meant to be binding forever. WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court seemed ready Wednesday to allow New Jersey to withdraw from a commission the state created decades ago with New York to combat the mob's influence at their joint port. Phil Murphy issued a statement applauding Feigenbaum and the attorneys for an "outstanding" job making the state's case. We know here that the parties never intended for this to be perpetual, said Justice Sonia Sotomayor. How NJ lost $850M to NY:A look inside the negotiations to split federal transit funds. 2023 www.northjersey.com. If not, that would open the door to an ongoing fight should New York go to court to seek an injunction. Judith Vale, New York's deputy solicitor general, tried to convince the court that New Jersey's departure from the 70-year-old commission would "upset and destabilize" the region. The Southern District said the commission provided invaluable support in investigations of La Cosa Nostra families and racketeering cases involving labor unions. It is our responsibility to New Yorkers to stop New Jerseys unlawful actions and preserve the ongoing work of this law enforcement agency., Governor [Phil] Murphy continues to believe that New Jersey should have the right to withdraw from a nearly 70-year-old commission that does not meet todays needs or serve New Jerseys interests, said Bailey Lawrence, a spokesperson for the New Jersey governor, as reported by Law360 on October 24, 2022. He looks forward to the case being argued during the Supreme Courts upcoming term and remains optimistic that New Jersey will prevail.. Download. Some of Vale's arguments hinged on the idea that the creation of the Waterfront Commission was much like the inception of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. It is harder for corruption and undue influence to take hold if it has to succeed in two states.. The WCNYH has its own police division (a.k.a. On Monday, the nations high court declined to hear an appeal of a lower court ruling that sided with New Jerseys argument that the commission didnt have standing to sue the state. Those supporters also showered state lawmakers with political contributions over the years. When New York and New Jersey formed the Waterfront Commission Compact in 1953, they intended to prohibit unilateral termination, argued Vale in her opening statement. The Court has given the attorneys for New Jersey's Governor until January 7, 2021, to file their response. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. New Jersey Gov. Judith Vale, representing New York, argued that the agreements silence on unilateral withdrawal made the opposite point. The Waterfront Commission was established in the 1950s to fight corruption and crime at the port of New York and New Jersey. WebThey claim the Waterfront Commission has run for many years without accountability and transparency about the use of public funds. At the time the commission was created, about 70 percent of the port's business came through the New York side of the port. On December 8, 2020, the Waterfront Commission attorneys filed their petition for a Writ of Certiorari in the Supreme Court. Vale also argued that the bistate nature of the compact was crucial to its function. [2] The commission was initially created to combat unfair hiring practices on the waterfront in response to the growing number of crimes being committed there. Local journalism needs your support. The Waterfront Commission is staffed by commission attorneys who are trained in various law enforcement and police investigative techniques. The two-member commission with one commissioner from each state oversees licensing and inspections at the Port of New York and New Jersey and has its Media Inquiries-. At another point, however, Roberts distinguished the Port Authority from the Waterfront Commission, which he called a "very important but relatively small enterprise dealing with a particular problem. Roberts suggested to Judith Vale, who was arguing on behalf of New York, that it would be not that disruptive for New Jersey to withdraw. But while the high courts action ends the commissions efforts to stop New Jersey, that may not be the end of the battle. The commission was set up in August 1953 (a year before the movie On the Waterfront) to combat labor racketeering. The next day, when Gov. Chris Christie signed the bill in his final week in office, though once vetoing it as unconstitutional, and the commission fought the states action through the federal courts. Gov. The commission regulates hiring and licensing on the waterfront, and continues in its efforts to make made guys scarce on the docks. The justices spent more time asking Feigenbaum how to craft their opinion in New Jersey's favor than challenging his arguments. WebWaterfront Commission of New York Harbor 3.8 out of 5 stars.3.8 4 reviews Write a review Snapshot Why Join Us Jobs 4 Reviews 2 Salaries 3 Q&A Interviews Photos Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor Careers and Employment About the company Company size 51 to 200 Headquarters New York Link Waterfront The bi-state agency was founded in 1953 by a Congressional authorized compact between New York and New Jersey "for the purpose of eliminating various evils on the waterfront in the Port of New York Harbor." YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday handed New Jersey a victory in its effort to abolish the 70-year-old Waterfront Commission, declining to intervene for now in whether the state can leave the bi-state agency tasked with keeping the ports around New York Harbor free of organized crime. But New Jersey argued, among other things, that "mere silence as to withdrawal gives one State no basis to hold another hostage to a compact forever." The Police Division operates in Manhattan and Brooklyn and has three offices, two in NY: The Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor cooperates with various state, federal, and local law enforcement authorities in pursuing investigations into waterfront-related crimes. The Waterfront Commission declined comment on Monday. Jackson challenged Vales argument that because of that silence, both states must agree on the Waterfront Commissions dissolution. Chris Christie, a Republican, signed legislation withdrawing his state from the compact. The justices will decide the case in the coming months. The issue, as it stands, is whether the Supreme Court should issue declaratory judgment and/or enjoin New Jersey from withdrawing from its Waterfront Commission Compact with New York, which grants the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor broad regulatory and law-enforcement powers over all operations at the Port of New York and New Jersey. We want to know if you are interested in transitioning your employment from the current commission to the state of New Jersey, wrote State Police Superintendent Col. Patrick Callahan in a letter sent last week to Waterfront Commission employees. Container ships are docked at the Port of New York and New Jersey in Elizabeth, N.J. (Seth Wenig/AP). less than a year after New York sued New Jersey, filed court documents in August that sided, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. The commission was created in 1953 when organized crime had infiltrated the port and was demanding payments from workers and shippers through extortion and violence. The report detailed extensive illegal, corrupt and unethical behavior on the part of Waterfront Commission staff. Murphy reiterated the state's belief that the commission, which was formed in 1953, is "outdated and inefficient" and "has become an impediment to economic growth. The bi-state commission was formed in 1953 to combat widespread waterfront crime, including mob activity and the sort of corruption detailed in the movie On the Waterfront.. New York has yet to take a position in the matter. The letter included Civil Service classification questionnaires to anyone seeking to transfer onto the New Jersey payroll as employees of the State Police. Gov. During arguments at the high court both liberal and conservative justices suggested that the Garden State doesn't need New York's consent to withdraw from the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor. The decision Monday means the high court declined to hear the commissions appeal in a lawsuit arguing that New Jersey could not unilaterally walk away from the federally approved interstate compact that established the agency. In its filing, the commission said the courts cannot read a nonexistent unilateral withdrawal term into the compact just because New Jersey thinks that structure would have made more sense.. ", The U.S. attorneys who wrote to the court, led by Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, said New York's arguments in court documents are "mistaken" and "internally inconsistent," adding that New Jersey should be able to leave without New York's consent because it enables "each State to exercise its full sovereign authority.". The Waterfront Commission participated in the investigation of criminal activities by the leaders and members of the Gambino crime family and union leaders. The U.S. Supreme Court ordered an abrupt halt Thursday to New Jerseys planned exit from a bi-state watchdog agency that regulates the ports and piers of New York Harbor, just four days before the state was ready to call it quits. Noting that most of the port activities are now based in New Jersey, they claimed the Waterfront Commission had also hurt the states economic interests. The justices only ruled on whether it would hear the commissions arguments to strike down the action by the governor and the Legislature in New Jersey. Marlon Brando in the 1954 motion picture "On the Waterfront." Elena Kagan, who also grew up in New York, was similarly skeptical of the state's argument as was the court's only member from New Jersey, Justice Samuel Alito. The questionnaires also seemed on some level to be seeking information of just what the commission does and the day-to-day work of its staff. Employees were specifically asked: Describe in detail the work required of this position. The state plans to withdraw from the commission and turn over its policing role to the New Jersey State Police. Cargo ships docked in Port Newark.Ted Sherman | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, A long-running battle challenging New Jerseys right to walk away from the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor came under sharp questioning by justices on the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday, with at least one skeptical justice suggesting that forcing the state to stay would be an extraordinary thing.. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. Kathy Hochul. Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor (WCNYH) News. 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