NEWARK — The dispute that turned last week's New Jersey Turnpike Authority meeting into The Jerry Springer Show continued Wednesday in a dignified federal courtroom in Newark.

Turnpike toll collectors, who shouted down the state transportation commissioner and shut down the authority meeting last Tuesday with a 40-minute sit-in, were in U.S. District Court to complain that the authority violated their First Amendment rights.

But the sedate hearing presided over by U.S. Judge Jose Linares was the opposite of last week’s Turnpike Authority meeting in Woodbridge — termed a "fiasco" by state Transportation Commissioner Jim Simpson.

Last Tuesday, commissioners for the authority, which oversees the Turnpike and Garden State Parkway, were jeered with chants of "Shame! Shame!" by toll collectors who could lose their jobs July 1.

Wednesday in federal court, a lawyer for the toll collectors said that after they spoke out against plans this summer to privatize their jobs, the authority on Feb. 25 vindictively removed a "right of first refusal" provision that would have given the toll takers first dibs on jobs with the new company handling toll collection.

The clause was removed two days after union members picketed and protested at an authority meeting, and Simpson told reporters after the meeting he was "not happy" with the way toll collectors were behaving.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

• Toll collectors union stages sit-in at N.J. Turnpike Authority meeting in protest of privatization

• Facing job losses, toll collectors demand N.J. Turnpike Authority negotiate with them

• Toll collectors charge N.J. Turnpike with being vindictive with privatization plan

• N.J. Turnpike toll collectors union files lawsuit to delay vote on privatization

• Privatization likely to lead to pay cuts for Turnpike, Parkway toll collectors

• N.J. plans to take bids to privatize Turnpike toll collection

"The timing here could not be any clearer," said lawyer Steven Weissman, representing International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers Local No. 194.

But John J. Peirano, a lawyer representing the authority, said toll collector protests did not lead to the removal of the right of first refusal provision. The union had been speaking out publicly against the authority for eight months before the provision was dropped, he said.

"Very substantial, very vocal opposition was already voiced by the union," Peirano said.

The provision was removed because it was causing some prospective bidders to drop out, he said. Even though 23 prospective bidders initially expressed interest, only four bids were received.

The union is trying to get the right of first refusal restored.

Linares will likely make a decision before April 27, when the authority could vote at its monthly meeting to hire a new company for toll collection.

Toll takers say they have been trying since January to negotiate with the authority, but have been rebuffed. The sit-in last week followed a refusal by authority commissioners to publicly say when they would negotiate with toll collectors.

Meanwhile, the authority has filed an unfair labor practice complaint against the union through the Public Employment Relations Commission, saying the union was trying to negotiate with prospective bidders who wanted to take over toll collection.