New Jersey Statutes Title 40. Municipalities and Counties 40 § 43-66.75

All officers and employees of the participating municipalities whose employment is continued following consolidation shall be employees of the consolidated municipality. They shall be subject to the orders and control of the mayor or other chief executive officer of the consolidated municipality, and of such other officers of the consolidated municipality as he shall authorize, or as shall be authorized under the plan or form of government of the consolidated municipality.

The tenure and pension rights under State laws of officers and employees of the participating municipalities, or of any public authority thereof, shall not be affected by the consolidation of the participating municipalities, but the provisions of this section shall not preclude the revision, consolidation or elimination of offices and positions as may be required by the consolidation, all of which shall be carried out in conformity with the provisions of the consolidation plan approved by the voters pursuant to section 28 of this act.  1

Nothing in this section, or chapter 27 of Title 11 of the Revised Statutes,  2 or R.S. 11:28-2 3 or R.S. 38:16-1 shall be construed as to limit the discretion of the appointing authority of the consolidated municipality in making appointments to any position which may be placed in the unclassified service pursuant to R.S. 11:22-2,  4 or any other applicable law, following consolidation or the adoption of the permanent ordinances of the consolidated municipality. Any person appointed to any such unclassified position at such time, and who, at the time of such appointment, holds a similar, or substantially similar, position in the classified service of one of the participating municipalities, shall be required to be separated from the classified service, and shall, thereafter, serve in the unclassified service of the consolidated municipality; provided, however, that nothing in this section shall adversely affect the pension, tenure or seniority rights, or the right to employment or reemployment in a comparable position, to which any person, not designated for appointment hereunder, may be entitled pursuant to section 1 of P.L.1952, c. 323 (C. 11:22-10.1  5).