The New Jersey Assembly today is set to a change the way contract disputes involving police and firefighters are settled. Public workers aren’t allowed to strike, so contract disputes between them and Garden State towns are settled by arbitrators. Democrats want to require an arbitrator to choose a contract award based on final offers from both sides and to consider the constraint of the new property tax cap.

Gov. Chris Christie says the bill doesn’t go far enough. Christie has been pushing for a hard 2 percent cap on arbitration awards.

Assembly members will also take up a bill to limit unused sick leave payouts for all public workers. AP.