Communications Workers of America Files Lawsuit Alleging Violations of New Jersey Equal Pay Act Against Camden County

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 29, 2025
Contact: Rachel van Raan, CWA District 1 Communications Coordinator | [email protected] | 347-225-7540

Communications Workers of America Files Lawsuit Alleging Violations of New Jersey Equal Pay Act Against Camden County

CAMDEN COUNTY, NJ – The Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 1014, representing 1,600 public service employees working for Camden County including over 150 911 operators, today filed a lawsuit against Camden County, alleging systemic violations of the New Jersey Diane B. Allen Equal Pay Act (EPA). The complaint accuses the County of paying female and minority employees less than male or non‑minority peers who perform the same work.

Allegations and Legal Basis

Under the NJ EPA, which was enacted in 2018, employers are prohibited from paying employees in protected classes (including women, racial minorities, and military veterans) less than others performing the same or substantially similar work. Any pay disparity must be justified by the employer on the basis of merit, seniority, or other bona fide factors. 

According to the lawsuit, Camden County has refused to implement a compensation system that satisfies the requirements of the law, despite a long and sustained demand for equitable wages by CWA Local 1014; Public Safety Telecommunicators (PSTs) in protected classes within Camden County’s 911 emergency services operations, including women, people of color, and military veterans, have consistently been paid lower wages than coworkers in the same title, despite comparable responsibilities, qualifications, and performance evaluations. 

“We’ve made every attempt to address this issue, but we’ve gotten no meaningful response from the County,” said Garren Steiner, President of CWA Local 1014. “We’re not asking for anything crazy here—all we’re looking for is what’s right and what’s required by law. We want what’s best for this community, for taxpayers, and for our members who devote their lives to this job. The County offered us a nominal one-time payment to make this lawsuit go away. That’s unacceptable in light of the years of lost wages and emotional toll that this has taken on my members.”

The complaint alleges an estimated $10.5 million in lost wages to date and seeks remedies allowed under the EPA, including:

• An immediate end to pay disparities among Camden County PSTs
• Back pay for up to six years of wage disparities for impacted PSTs
• Protection against retaliation for those making claims or joining the lawsuit

Impact on Workers and Community

Due to the demanding nature of the job, many PSTs have reported high levels of burnout, resulting in low retention that further exacerbates burnout among remaining staff; the Union reports at least 14 open positions are needed in order to meet minimum required staffing levels. In addition to high call volume in Camden City as well as the surrounding 34 towns covered by Camden County PSTs, workers report personal hardship from being consistently underpaid, affecting housing stability, access to healthcare, overall morale, and concern about the long-term impact on the communities served. 

“We’re speaking with people at literally some of the worst moments of their lives,” said Christopher Pritchett-Lewis, a PST and plaintiff in the case. “It takes a toll. This job requires calm and patience and care. We want to make sure that every caller is supported and that our communities get the help they need, but we’re buckling under the pressure of longer and longer shifts all while knowing that we’re being underpaid. It’s too much.”

The suit aims not only to recover back pay, but to change County pay practices going forward to ensure fair treatment for all employees.

Following more than a year of negotiations between CWA Local 1014 and Camden County during which the Union proposed a number of remedies to this issue in order to avoid taking legal action, the Union is now prepared to proceed through litigation. 

“It takes a lot to train and learn and do this job,” said Germaima Martinez-Beckford, a PST and plaintiff in the case. “Having to go into work day after day knowing that people sitting next to you, doing the exact same job, are making $5,000 to $12,000 more than you—it wears on your morale.” 

“The County, they say that they care about us, that they respect us, but their actions say differently,” said Bryan Burns, a PST and CWA Local 1014 Vice President. “It feels like being treated as just a body to fill a seat, like we’re a revolving door, on top of an already very tough job.”

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The Communications Workers of America represents working people in public service, telecommunications, customer service, media, airlines, health care, and education, manufacturing, tech, and other fields. CWA represents roughly 75,000 public sector workers throughout New Jersey. CWA Local 1014 represents 1,600 public service employees working for Camden County.