Includes minimum number of firefighting personnel for public employer as term and condition of employment for purpose of collective bargaining under certain circumstances; provides for dispute resolution procedure.

This New Jersey bill requires that minimum staffing levels for firefighters and fire officers be negotiated as a "term and condition of employment," provided these levels are rationally related to public or employee safety. It establishes a dispute resolution process where disagreements about whether staffing levels are mandatory subjects of negotiation (rather than management prerogatives) will be referred to the state commission for an evidentiary hearing. The bill specifies that the burden of proof for demonstrating safety justification rests with the party claiming the staffing level relates to safety. This provision applies exclusively to firefighters and fire officers, not to other public employees covered by the state's collective bargaining law. The bill does not alter existing collective bargaining rights for other public employees.