The New Jersey Turnpike Authority will continue to collect its own tolls rather than outsource manual toll collection services to a private company.
Authority and union officials last week agreed to salary reductions for 800 full-time and part-time toll collectors.
In return, the agency will not seek to privatize its toll collections for two years.
Top earners with an annual salary of $65,000 will take a $8,000 pay cut the first year and a $7,500 salary reduction the second year, according to authority spokesman Tom Feeney.
The agency in January released a request for proposals for a private operator to manage toll collection on the 148-mile New Jersey Turnpike and the 173-mile Garden State Parkway.
Union contracts for both agencies were set to expire at the end of June. The Turnpike authority anticipates the salary cuts will generate $35 million of savings this year and next, Feeney said.
Turnpike Authority officials approved the new two-year union contracts on Friday. Union members were expected to vote on the new contracts Saturday and Monday.
The Turnpike has 124 manual lanes and the Parkway has 34 manual collection spots.
