Rahway DPW Contract Talks Hang Over City Council Meeting
A small rally outside City Hall, a surprise disavowal at the mic, and questions about the municipal budget and water utility defined Monday night's meeting.
A small rally in support of DPW employees who’ve gone more than a year without a new contract. (The Central Jerseyan)
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Chris Howell | June 9, 2026
A small group of residents gathered outside Rahway City Hall on Monday evening to show support for Department of Public Works employees who have been working without a contract for more than 15 months. But the gesture produced an unexpected twist inside the meeting room.
A Rahway DPW worker stepped to the public comment microphone and read a prepared statement distancing city employees from the demonstration.
“We heard today that there was a rally outside for us. We thank everyone for the support of all of the hardworking men and women at DPW,” the worker said. “However, we just want to make it clear that we did not organize, participate in, or affiliate ourselves with this or any rally. We’re not interested in being used as pawns for anyone’s personal or political gains.”
He added that contract negotiations are “ongoing and moving forward in a positive direction,” with two meetings held in the past month, and expressed confidence that a deal would be reached. “There is no bad blood between us as city workers and administration officials,” he said. “We’re happy to serve under this administration.”
The statement stood in contrast to the tone outside, where residents who attended the rally described a workforce they feel has been overlooked.
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“The DPW is very important to me,” said Erin Flynn, a Rahway resident who attended the rally. “I like to say I live on a forgotten street in Rahway, and when we flood, the DPW guys came — not even being workers, just being people. They comforted me. You gotta think they’re the people. They’re not a number.”
Raymond Brodie, another rally attendee, drew a direct line between the DPW dispute and a previous police contract stalemate. “This administration did the same thing to our police department a few months back,” he said. “They were working over a year without a contract. There’s no transparency at all with this administration.”
The contract dispute drew pointed public comment inside as well. Resident Alan Levy, who is running for city council as a Republican in November, accused the administration of offering workers a 1% raise while top city officials receive annual increases of 5% to 15%.
Mayoral Chief of Staff Robert Landolfi pushed back, calling the 1% figure a mischaracterization. “You don’t negotiate in public,” he said, declining to discuss the substance of the talks. He did thank the DPW worker who spoke “for coming this evening unsolicited.”
Andrew Garcia Phillips, a regular public commenter who unsuccessfully ran for City Council in the Democratic primary, framed the stalemate as a systemic failure. “This is not the first union contract that has gone way beyond its deadline,” he said. “There’s something broken in our contract negotiation. It doesn’t save us any money. We end up paying them a lump sum once the contract does get settled.” He called on the council to consider replacing the city’s negotiator.
Resident Lisa Vandever renewed her call for the city to publish its 2026 municipal budget, noting that under amended state law, the budget should have been introduced by the first council meeting after March 31 and adopted by April 30. Neither deadline has been met.
She also flagged that several city agencies — including the Special Improvement District and the Rahway Redevelopment Agency — are far behind on posting meeting minutes, with the last available Redevelopment Agency minutes dated January 2023. “Residents deserve timely access to meeting minutes and a meaningful opportunity to comment on major decisions before they are finalized,” she said.
No council member or administrator provided a budget timeline. Garcia Phillips separately pressed for an update on the potential water utility sale, noting that Council President Jeffrey Brooks had said during last month’s primary debate that “if we have our way, the voters will decide,” suggesting a future referendum remains possible. No direct answer was given from the dais.
The June 3 Democratic primary hung over the room even when it went unacknowledged. Garcia Phillips used his full five minutes on policy, never once mentioning the election or acknowledging the incumbents’ wins. Brooks later congratulated everyone who ran and referenced a Facebook post from Mayor Giacobbe congratulating “Mr. Phillips” on his run. From the audience, the former challenger called out, “It’s Garcia Phillips.” The moment drew a brief pause before Brooks moved on.
A June 2026 photograph showing rooftop damage at Rahway City Hall. (The Central Jerseyan)
Also during the meeting, the council approved a $1,384,500 contract with Rahway-based Pravco Inc. for City Hall roof replacement, the first major spending action under the $2.5 million capital bond approved in April.
The council also passed a resolution urging state leaders to reform the State Health Benefits Program, citing a 36.25% rate increase for 2026 and warning of potential hiring freezes or tax increases if no action is taken.
Two ordinances passed first reading and were scheduled for final adoption at the July 6 meeting. O-15-26 updates the city’s filming permit regulations at the request of the New Jersey Film Commission, and O-16-26 establishes a one-time water leak credit policy that would allow qualifying customers a 50% reduction in charges from verified, undetected leaks.
The council also finalized the sale of a small city-owned parcel at 6 Broadway to the John L. Ruddy Post No. 7363 Veterans of Foreign Wars of Clark for $10. Officials determined the .03-acre lot, acquired by the city in 2016, had no development potential on its own.
GoNetspeed received approval to use utility poles in the city’s public right-of-way, expanding fiber broadband options for residents.
Pukavich also noted that a contract with USA Architects for professional services associated with the East Cherry Street pocket park was approved as part of the consent agenda, and said residents could expect to see a groundbreaking “at the end of the summer, beginning of the fall.”
Editor’s note: The Central Jerseyan is free to read and supported by advertising. If you value this kind of local reporting and want to help sustain it, you can become a citizen supporter on Patreon. Your contribution helps fund continued coverage of local government, schools, and community issues.