Police Officers Labor Council (POLC)
667 E. Big Beaver Road, Suite 205 Troy, MI 48083. (248) 524-3200
FAX: (248) 524-2752
POLC membership: www.polc.org
CHAIR: Steve McInchak
Flat Rock Police Dept.
VICE CHAIR: Brian McNair
Chesterfield Township Police Dept.
Greg Alexander
Oscoda Township Police Dept.
Leigh Golden Flint Police Dept.
Ryan Strunk
Battle Creek Police Dept.
Robert Gaiser
Caro City Police Dept.
Troy Taylor Oak Park Public Safety Dept.
Adam Byrd
Van Buren Township Police Dept.
John Huizdos
Bloomfield Township Police Dept.
DIRECTOR:
Robert Figurski Warren PD (Retired)
Christopher Watts
PUBLICATIONS
Executive Editor: Jennifer Gomori
Newly appointed POLC/GELC Executive Committee member
Adam Byrd is very familiar with assuming leadership roles in his career and community.
A Van Buren Township Police Officer and POLC member since 2006, he’s served as his department’s Patrol and Dispatchers Local Union President since 2009. Byrd began his law enforcement career as a Detroit Police Officer in 1999, where he served until April 2006.
“Based on my skillset, I have several attributes I can share with the board,” Byrd said. “With my years of experience as Union President, I want to utilize the knowledge I’ve obtained at the next level by assisting all of the (local) units in a leadership role with the board.”
Byrd is Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police (MACP) Accreditation Manager for Van Buren Township Police as well as a grant writer, and a Fair and Bias instructor. He has also worked in community policing and patrol.
“We’re one of the few departments that are an accredited organization,” Byrd said. “Part of that landscape is providing fair and impartial bias police training to all department personnel. I’m a certified instructor authorized in teaching my agency though Fair and Impartial Policing (FIP).” FIP provides implicit-bias-awareness training for law enforcement in North America. Byrd works with a Van Buren Township Sergeant to maintain MACP Accreditation for their department.
“I’m very organized and it takes a lot of organization to do this level of work,” he said. “We became accredited in 2021, a process that can take longer than a year. Accreditation allows an agency to visit their standard operating procedures and have researched best practices and adhere to those best practices. Without it, there’s no guidance as to what is a good process. When you have a collective group of professionals coming together to create and adhere to the best practices, you have a department that consistently follows the best practices in law.”
In his community, Byrd serves as the President of the Board of Christian Faith Church and previously served as the President of the board of Mission Pointe on the Lake Home Owners Association.
He has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Marygrove College, where he graduated magna cum laude. As Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Revolutionary Designz, a web development, graphic, and printing company, Byrd knows it’s important for the Union to keep up with changing technology.
“My focus is innovation with technology,” Byrd said. “Coming from a Union President’s perspective, one of my goals will be trying to get the Union on board with providing all of our units access to settled contracts. This will allow them to research options while they’re in negotiations.”
He strongly supports working with others in leadership positions to achieve common goals.
“Number one, we should have a consensus of our expectations from our chiefs and be able to sit down and work in mutual partnership so the citizens are serviced and Employees have better working conditions,” he said. “Another thing we have to do is be actively involved with our politicians so we can explain to them our points of view in an organized fashion. Police reform legislation is consistently changing. We must have our finger on the pulse of that to understand those changes. So, when politicians have questions, we can tell them some things are misinformation, or validate information and say, ‘That’s not going to work, but this will.’” d
Jeff Gormley dedicated 25 years of his law enforcement career to the Police Officers Labor Council (POLC), so his promotion to Director of Bloomfield Hills Department of Public Safety was bittersweet.
“One of the hardest parts about taking the chief’s job was having to leave the POLC and Executive board because I can‘t do both at the same time since I was going to a non-union position,” Gormley said.
Gormley assumed his new role, overseeing 24 Officers and seven Dispatchers, in February 2023 after the prior Director retired.
Gormley began his career as a City of Mt. Pleasant Police Officer in July 1997 after graduating Lake Superior State University with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and another Bachelor’s in Fire Science. His legacy with the POLC began in September 1998, when he was hired as a Bloomfield Hills Public Safety Officer, stepping into the role of Local Union Lead Negotiator the same year he was hired. Gormley served in that position until he was promoted to Sergeant. He became Local Union President and Lead Negotiator for Bloomfield Hills Command Unit. He rose through the ranks to Lieutenant and Captain before assuming the department’s top position as Director of Public Safety.
In 2014, Gormley expanded his passion for labor relations as a POLC/ GELC Executive Committee member, serving nine years helping the Union grow stronger.
“Some of the things I’m most proud about are moving the POLC toward fiscal responsibility and putting us in a much better position today than when we started as an organization,” he said.
As an Executive Committee member, Gormley helped choose not one, but two new POLC/GELC Directors — Director Rob Figurski and Deputy Director and Labor Representative Jim Stachowski, who will take over
the Director’s role July 1, 2023.
“We have progressed and worked hard to get ourselves in a situation where we’re much more viable in the future,” Gormley said. “I also liked sitting on the Union’s Grievance Board for five years. It was always enjoyable and very impactful helping officers across the state.”
As Gormley looks ahead at the future of the Union, he sees the key issues centering on staffing departments and defending officers’ duty to serve and protect.
“The hiring, retention and recruitment of good law enforcement is a major issue. The shortage of law enforcement throughout the state is a huge thing,” he said. “I think that good, quality, substantial law enforcement reform is okay, but the Unions have to make sure that the quality and the importance of the things being changed serve law enforcement’s core principals and don’t interfere with the job that needs to be done.”
Gormley’s parting wisdom for newly appointed Executive Committee member Adam Byrd is to not feel pressured to conform. “He should vote his true belief and heart and not the easy vote,” Gormley said. “Committee members should have their own opinions and do what they believe is right.” d
Roseville Command Officers were with their former Union for about two decades when they decided it was time to compare their representation with other Unions.
After conducting thorough research into the competition, they voted to join the Police Officers Labor Council (POLC) in March 2023.
“We went and sat down with POLC and the other Unions … and we listened to what everybody had to say and decided the choice of POLC representation was the best,” said Sgt. Scott Burley, Roseville Command Officers Local Union President.
The 15-member unit was primarily concerned with the level of service they were receiving from the Police Officers Association of Michigan (POAM) compared to what they would experience as POLC members.
“It’s a customer service business, and if the customer service isn’t good for what you’re paying, you go somewhere else,” Burley said.
Burley reached out to officers in area departments for feedback about their representation and the POLC stood out with positive reviews.
“It was a total package, between some of the things POLC does at negotiations time, like the way they put together the comparables (with neighboring department benefits), and everything else,” Burley said. “It’s the customer service quite frankly. There’s also a level of comfort in knowing some of the guys here as well.”
Burley was referring to Local POLC-represented members he’s met through neighboring departments as well as Roseville Command’s new POLC Labor Representative Jim Stachowski. The two got to know each other while Stachowski served with Clinton Township Police. Stachowski is handling contract negotiations this spring for the new unit since their bargaining agreement expires July 1.
“So far Jim has been outstanding,” Burley said. d
Wednesday – Friday
September 13-15, 2023
Park Place Hotel & Conference Center
300 E. State Street Traverse City, MI 49684
Attendance limited to registered delegates and invited guests only
RESERVE ROOMS by August 13, 2023 to receive POLC/GELC discount: Call 231-946-5000 and request POLC/GELC Block
Questions? Call the POLC/GELC Office: 248-524-3200
Seminar Sessions
• Featured Speaker Will Aitchison discusses relevant issues to Public Safety and Public Sector Employees
POLC Business Meeting
• Outstanding Service Awards
• POLC Business Agenda
• POLC Board and Officers elections
Thursday,September14,2023:
ARTICLE V (By-laws) DELEGATES TO ANNUAL MEETING
SECTION 1. Each participating bargaining unit in the Labor Council shall be entitled to one (1) delegate to the Annual Meeting for each ten (10) members or major portion thereof in their unit, provided however, that each participating unit shall have at least one (1) delegate.
SECTION 7. Any delegate from a bargaining unit that is delinquent in payment of dues shall not be admitted or seated at the Annual Meeting.
List names of all unit delegates here: (Please type or print neatly)
For those interested in an alternative to the golf outing, a Poker Run will be available from 2:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Thursday, September 1 4th with beverage stops at some local establishments – all while trying to win some $money$ picking up a card or two at each stop
Call Nancy Ciccone at (248) 524-3200 before Friday, September 1, 2023 to reserve your spot.
at the beautiful Grand Traverse Resort provides a scheduled diversion for attendees of the Police Officers Labor Council’s annual Business meetings in Traverse City on September 13-15, 2023. Reserve your spot now.
(Limited to first 100 golfers)
Thursday, September 14, 2023
Tee-off time: 2:30 p.m.
Cost: $50 per person
Includes 18 holes with cart (non-refundable) Reservations guaranteed only when golf is paid in full.
Spruce Golf Course – Golf attire is required by the course; all golfers must be in a collared shirt, walking shorts or long pants. Denim jeans or denim shorts are NOT permitted. NO tank tops, NO tee shirts, NO spikes.
GOLF REGISTRATION FORM (Make checks payable to POLC/Golf)
Phone # and Department Name ______________________________________ ________________________________________
Golfers Names
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
This registration must be returned before Friday, September 1, 2023 to: POLC/GELC Golf Outing Police Officers Labor Council
Richard R. Weiler Scholarship Award recipient Michael Davedowski is following in the steps of a family line of law enforcement and military service members.
He is off to a great start making quite an impression at Macomb Community College Police Academy being chosen for the Weiler Award and several others. Davedowski graduated May 12, 2023 with a 3.2 GPA and was one of 18 pre-service cadets in a graduating class of 35.
“Mr. Davedowski is a hard-working and dedicated young man, who has been driven to succeed,” said Macomb Police Academy Director Michael Ciaramitaro. “I recall interviewing him for attendance at our academy. He was anxious to start and to do his best, proving that he will become a police officer. He is well-liked by all of his classmates and has a genuinely nice attitude about everything he does.”
The $500 Richard R. Weiler Scholarship Award, sponsored by the Police Officers Labor Council (POLC), is given twice yearly at the discretion of the police academy to graduates who have not been sponsored by any police agency. To qualify for the Award, cadets must pass the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES) certification test and meet MCOLES employment standards to become certified Michigan Law Enforcement Officers.
He earned his associate’s degree in General Studies from Macomb Community College. At academy graduation, he also received the Stephen Thomas First Responders Scholarship sponsored by the Michigan Schools and Government Credit Union; the Dr. John and Jill DeGutis Endowed Memorial Fire and Police Scholarship; and Joseph Blanke Memorial Award, all totaling $2,780.
He took on a leadership role assisting with in-class academy technology. “I’m pretty good working with IT, so I’d try to get the computer
technology going to the best of my ability,” Davedowski said. “I was helping the instructors with it and, if there were any glitches, I’d help fix anything I could.”
Davedowski started his career in law enforcement as a Utica Police Officer on May 17. His family members who have also served are: his cousin, Lawrence Suwalkowski, who served in the Iraq War; his uncle, Joe Golabek, who served in the military in Germany and is a retired Detroit Police Officer; and another cousin, Derek Suwalkowski, a veteran of the Hamtramck Police Department
“Everybody is 20-plus years older than me. I’m 25,” he said. “I’m really excited about the Weiler Award. It’s helpful toward my education and putting me in a great position toward reaching my goals.” d
Darla Afrin achieved the highest overall score for non-sponsored recruits at Law Enforcement Regional Training Academy (LERTA), earning her the Collin Birnie Scholarship Award, despite working weekends, raising four elementary age children and completing her degree.
“I wanted to cry it made me feel so good. To receive that award in front of my children was amazing,” Afrin said. “I will never forget that experience. It made me realize all the hard work and dedication to being the best I can be was worth it.”
Afrin, 37, received a 94.13 percent GPA, excelling in academics as well as physical testing at LERTA. The Collin Birnie Scholarship Award is given twice yearly at the discretion of the college police academy to graduates who have not been sponsored by any police agency. To qualify for the $500 Award, which is sponsored by the Police Officers
Labor Council (POLC), cadets must pass the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES) certification test and meet MCOLES employment standards to become certified Michigan Law Enforcement Officers.
“The POLC also gave me a Collin Birnie Challenge Coin,” she said. “It’s beautiful – I love it. I was so excited to get that.”
Afrin was one of six pre-service cadets in a graduating class of 22 from LERTA May 4, 2023. The remaining 16 cadets were sponsored by law enforcement agencies through MCOLES grants for training and hiring. “They are with police agencies, but MCOLES actually paid for the academy,” said Kitty Severance, LERTA Staff Assistant.
Afrin, who also received the $300 Donald E. Ewles Criminal Justice Scholarship Endowment, graduated Mott Community College May 6 with a Criminal Justice associate’s degree. “I’ve never had a better ex-
Richard R. Weiler Scholarship Award recipient James Smith put his full effort into doing well at the Wayne County Regional Police Training Academy (WCRPTA), leading fellow cadets the most effective way possible.
“He’s a quiet leader. He leads by example,” said WCRPTA Director Anthony Mencotti. “He works extremely hard and has a very good attitude. He gets along extremely well with his classmates. He was selected for his overall work ethic and is very modest.”
Smith, 22, was chosen for the honor from among nine pre-service cadets in a May 18, 2023 graduating class of 53 cadets, including 44 who were agency sponsored.
“I’m very thankful. I was super surprised,” Smith said. “It was pretty shocking and a really great honor that I was the one that got it.”
The $500 Richard R. Weiler Scholarship Award, which is sponsored by the Police Officers Labor Council (POLC), is given twice yearly at the discretion of the college police academy to graduates who have not been sponsored by any police agency. To qualify, cadets must pass the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES) certification test and meet MCOLES employment standards to become certified Michigan Law Enforcement Officers.
In a letter of appreciation to the POLC, Smith wrote: “Thank you so much for the recognition and the award of the Richard R. Weiler Scholarship. I take pride in my academics and am thankful for your recognition of such. I had no idea scholarships like this existed, but I am honored to have received this and was a little overwhelmed when I was called up on the stage at graduation. Thank you so much for the work and support you give to the academy recruits and to law enforcement overall.”
He’s following in his father’s footsteps, James Smith (senior), a Wayne County Sheriff’s Lieutenant. The younger Smith earned a 3.9 GPA in the academy. “He was a Lieutenant that was in charge of a platoon for
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perience at a school in my life,” Afrin said. “I’m graduating Mott with a 4.0 (GPA). I worked very, very hard.”
She’s applying for law enforcement jobs in high crime areas. “I’m older and I have really good communication skills. I understand a lot of diverse groups and people that don’t have a lot of money, in areas with higher crimes, have always interested me,” she said.
Growing up in a family that struggled financially, Afrin pushed through a lot of obstacles to complete the academy. “I have four small children and I had to take extra classes to join the academy,” she said. “It was a struggle, but I got through it with the help of my ex-husband and my family. I wouldn’t be able to do it without them. I had to work every weekend I was going to the academy.”
Afrin has worked as an Eastpointe Police Service Aide for the past year. “It’s opened my eyes to a lot of things in law enforcement. It’s really what made me want to become a police officer,” she said. “My ex-
weeks four through eight,” Mencotti said. “He’s also the Kehrl Academic Excellence Award ($300) recipient for pre-service recruits.”
Smith obtained a Criminal Justice associate’s degree from Schoolcraft Community College and was sworn in as a Redford Police Officer May 30.
“I’m planning to pursue my bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice right after FTO,” he said. “I’m pursuing that because it’s related to my job, but also I want to make going federal an option. If I like police work, I’ll stay there.”
Mencotti noted Smith also plans to go into the military. “I have a lot I want to achieve,” Smith said. “I do want to try and pursue the military. That will probably occur after my bachelor’s degree. I’d like to get security clearance and then go into the DEA. The Weiler Award is definitely going to help financial-wise and to use on my resume. Receiving that great award (helps me) moving forward with what I want to do, especially going federal.” d
husband is a police officer as well. I just loved his stories and I wanted to be in his position. I realized I needed to go back to school for myself and show my kids you can do it.” d
— As Reported by POLC/GELC Labor Reps
New three-year agreement expires Dec. 31, 2025.
Wages:
3% increase effective Jan. 1, 2023.
3% increase effective Jan. 1, 2024.
3% increase effective Jan. 1, 2025.
*$1,000 signing bonus for each Employee.
Fringe Benefits: Employees receive $2,000 one-time Stipend for completing Staff & Command School or obtaining a college degree. Education Allowance increased from $600 to $1,200 per Employee per fiscal year with a maximum of $4,800 per fiscal year for the entire bargaining unit. Vacation Time increased by 8 hours per year, from 220 hours to 228 hours.
Retirement: Employer’s pension contribution increased from 9% to 10% annually.
Bargaining Team: Sgt. Mike Topjian, Lt. Corey Wilson and Lt. Bob Lafeyette aided by POLC Labor Representative Jim Stachowski.
New four-year agreement expires Dec. 31, 2026.
Wages:
3% increase effective Jan. 1, 2023.
3% increase effective Jan. 1, 2024.
3% increase effective Jan. 1, 2025.
2.25% increase effective Jan. 1, 2026.
*Rank of Non-Union Deputy Chief was changed to a Union-covered Captain’s position, which impacted two positions.
**Captains receive an additional 6% pay increase above Lieutenants.
Bargaining Team: Lt. Mike Kennedy, Lt. Joe Bialy, Sgt. Dave Eyl and Sgt. Andy Colthurst aided by POLC Labor Representative Jim Stachowski.
New three-year agreement expires Dec. 31, 2025.
Wages:
4% increase effective Jan. 1, 2023.
4% increase effective Jan. 1, 2024.
4% increase effective Jan. 1, 2025.
*Employees each received a $1,500 market adjustment lump sum.
**Employees can reach the top of the pay scale faster since the pay scale was reduced from 48 months to 36 months of service.
Fringe Benefits: Uniform Allowance increased by $300 per year to $1,200 for Detectives and Patrol and $800 for Dispatch. Compensation Time Bank maximum increased from 240 hours to 280 hours. Juneteenth was added as a paid Holiday. Tuition Reimbursement of $2,000 per year was added.
Retirement: Employer is providing a 457 plan match of Employees contributions up to $1,000 per year.
Bargaining Team: John Amore, Joshua Baker, Brenden Alexander and Nicholas Calandra aided by POLC Labor Representative Jim Stachowski.
New five-year agreement expires March 31, 2028.
Wages:
2.5% increase effective April 1, 2023.
2.5% increase effective April 1, 2024.
2% increase effective April 1, 2025.
2% increase effective April 1, 2026.
2% increase effective April 1, 2027.
*Employees receive an added 1% wage adjustment for settling the contract one year early, effective Dec. 1, 2022. Their prior contract was set to expire March 31, 2024.
Fringe Benefits: Employees receive a $1,000 one-time Stipend for completing Staff & Command School. PTO increased from 80 hours to 96 hours per year. Juneteenth and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day were added as paid Holidays. Education Reimbursement increased from $4,000 to $5,000 per year. Manning & Safety: Weapon Allowance increased from $1.50 to $2 per day. Employees who report to work 30 minutes before their shift will receive ShowUp Time, an additional 4% of their base salary.
Bargaining Team: Brandon Blake, Anthony Coppola and Preston Susalla aided by POLC Labor Representative Jim Stachowski.
One-year wage re-opener expires March 31, 2024.
Wages:
2.5% increase effective April 1, 2023.
*Employees receive an added 1% wage adjustment, effective Dec. 1, 2022.
Fringe Benefits: Juneteenth and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day were added as paid Holidays.
Bargaining Team: Christian Madajczk, Matt Ramlow, Paul Collins, Mike Vasilovski, Chris Allis and Mike Marker aided by POLC Labor Representative Jim Stachowski.
Clinton Township Technical Office Professionals
New five-year agreement expires June 30, 2028.
Wages:
4% increase effective April 1, 2023.
2% increase effective April 1, 2024.
2% increase effective April 1, 2025.
2% increase effective April 1, 2026.
2% increase effective April 1, 2027.
*The 5-step wage scale was reduced to 3 steps to bring Employees to top-out pay sooner.
Retirement: All new hires in a Defined Contribution plan will have 4% Employee annual contributions and 8% Employer annual contributions.
Fringe Benefits: Son-in-law and daughter-in-law added to Funeral Leave. Compensatory Time language was added to contract, which includes a bank of up to 100 hours of Comp Time. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Juneteenth added as paid Holidays. Tuition Reimbursement increased from $4,000 to $5,000 annually.
Bargaining Team: Therese Ciaramella, Kelly Reed and Lisa Buckbee aided by GELC Labor Representative Jim Stachowski.
Flint Police Captains & Lieutenants
New four-year agreement expires June 30, 2025.
Wages:
$5,000 lump sum effective July 1, 2021 for six Employees hired prior to Sept. 2021.
$4,000 lump sum effective July 1, 2021 for three Employees hired after Sept. 2021.
5% increase effective July 1, 2023 for all Employees.
3% increase effective July 1, 2024 for all Employees.
*The lump sums cover the first two years of the contract.
Fringe Benefits: Juneteenth was added as a paid Holiday. PTO increased from 9.23 hours per pay period to 10.77 hours per pay period for Employees with 17 years or more seniority.
Bargaining Team: Esther Campbell, Rob Frost and Mark Boudreau aided by POLC Labor Representative Jim Stachowski.
Grosse Pointe Farms Command
New three-year agreement expires June 30, 2025.
Wages:
3% increase effective July 1, 2022.
3.5% increase effective July 1, 2023.
3.5% increase effective July 1, 2024.
*Rank differential from Patrol to Sergeant increased from 15% to 16.5%.
**$2,000 signing bonus per Employee.
Fringe Benefits: Each step increase in Longevity Pay went up an additional $200 as follows:
5 years or more of service = $750 annually
10 years or more of service = $1,000 annually
15 years or more of service = $1,200 annually
20 years or more of service = $1,400 annually
25 years or more of service = $1,600 annually
30 years or more of service = $1,800 annually
Bargaining Team: Wes Kipke, Frank Zielinski, Antonio Trupiano and Vince Finn aided by POLC Labor Representative Jim Stachowski.
Grosse Pointe Woods CommandLieutenants & Sergeants
New five-year agreement expires June 30, 2027.
Wages:
3% increase effective July 1, 2022.
3% increase effective July 1, 2023.
2.5% increase effective July 1, 2024.
2% increase effective July 1, 2025.
0% increase effective July 1, 2026.
*Lieutenants rank differential increased by 2.5% to 5.5%.
Retirement: Established an Employee Retention Option Plan (EROP).
Bargaining Team: Lt. Keith Waszak, Sgt. Joe Provost and Lt. Quincy Lefurgey aided by POLC Labor Representative Jim Stachowski.
New four-year agreement expires June 30, 2027.
Wages:
7% increase for Sergeants effective July 1, 2023.
6% increase for Patrol effective July 1, 2023.
5.5% increase for Patrol & Sergeants effective July 1, 2024.
3% increase for Patrol & Sergeants effective July 1, 2025.
3% increase for Patrol & Sergeants effective July 1, 2026.
Fringe Benefits: Shift Premium increased from $.50 cents to $1.25 per hour for hours worked between 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. for Patrol and Sergeants. Any Employee called into work outside of their shift hours will receive an increase in minimum OT hours paid from 2 hours to 3 hours. President’s Day was added as a paid Holiday. Employees required to work on a Holiday will now be paid 1-1/2 times their base rate plus Shift Premium. The Employer added a step to Vacation pay for Employees with 15 years of service, who will now receive 22 days of Vacation or 176 hours. For death of an immediate family member, Employees are granted an increased leave of absence up to 36 hours of regularly scheduled work days. Accrual Sick Time is now unlimited. Bonus Time was established under Sick Leave and will be earned Jan. 1 through Dec. 31 of each year. Bonus Time is earned by using 16 hours or less of Sick Time each calendar year. Employees may choose the 16 earned hours of Bonus Time to be Sick Time or Personal Time. Bonus Time earned may be used the following Jan. 1 and must be used if Personal Time is selected by Dec. 31. If Sick Time is selected, it will roll over until it’s used.
Representation: One Steward and one Alternate Steward will represent Members and one has to be from Command and one from Patrol. Employer agreed to use MERC for arbitration under grievance procedures.
Retirement: Effective July 1, 2023, upon retirement Employees will receive a Sick Bank payout of 20% of unused Sick Time. Sick Time will not be part of FAC. Employees received an increase to their pension benefits. Effective July 1, 2023 the MERS 5-year FAC will now include regular wages, OT and Holiday Pay. Previously, it only included base wages.
Bargaining Team: Local Union President Sgt. Jason Miner and Alternate Steward Officer AJ Wetzel aided by POLC Labor Representative Christopher Hild.
New three-year agreement expires Dec. 31, 2025.
Wages:
3% increase effective Jan. 1, 2023.
2% increase effective Jan. 1, 2024.
2% increase effective Jan. 1, 2025.
*$2,080 bonus for each Employee effective Jan. 1, 2023.
**$1,000 bonus for each Employee effective Jan. 1, 2024 and Jan. 1, 2025.
***Officers promoted to Sergeants will receive the step increase in pay equal to 5% above Deputy pay.
****In 2023, should the County Board approve more
than a 3% pay increase for any non-union employees, Sergeants shall receive the increase. For 2024 and 2025, if the County Board approves more than a 2% pay increase for non-union workers, Sergeants will also receive the increase.
Fringe Benefits: Sergeants who work 12-hour shifts receive an extra 4 hours of pay bi-weekly at 1-1/2 times their rate of pay, with the option of payment or banking it as Comp Time. Effective the 2024 benefit year, Employees can no longer purchase up to 80 hours of additional Vacation Time. Life insurance increased from $40,000 to $50,000. Employees entering the bargaining unit Jan. 1, 2023 or later have a maximum Sick Time payout of 75% of their Sick Bank up to 50 days upon retirement or death. Uniform Allowance increased from $500 to $650 per year. Cleaning Allowance increased from $250 to $325 annually. An additional step was added to Longevity Pay. Employees serving 25 years or more will receive 4% of their current base salary for the Longevity step increase, however 1% will not be MERS-eligible and will not be included in FAC. If General Marine Overtime (OT) is posted on a Holiday, General Marine Employees will be at the 1.5% OT rate. If an on-duty Deputy is assigned to Marine Patrol as part of their shift, not subject to Marine OT signup, that Deputy will receive Holiday OT pay.
Health Care: If the Employer changes Health Care insurance, they must provide benefits that are better than or commensurate to existing health care benefits. The County may only substitute insurance if 90% of Employees’ existing doctors are in network and there shall be no increase in Employees cost sharing. The Employer is required to meet with the Union to negotiate health care insurance changes, however, if an agreement is not reached within 30 days, the Employer may proceed with alternate insurance if it is better than or commensurate to existing insurance.
Retirement: Eliminated a section in the prior bargaining agreement which granted Employees a reduction to 3% Employee pension contribution should the plan become funded at 100%. Qualified Employees hired or promoted on or after Jan. 1, 2023 shall be enrolled in the MERS Defined Contribution (DC) Pension plan, subject to the MERS Alternative Transfer Rule. Employees hired or promoted before Jan. 1, 2023 shall have a one-time, irrevocable option of switching to the DC pension plan. Employer will contribute 4% to Employees’ DC plans. Additionally, Employer will match 100% of Employees’ DC contributions up to 4%. Employees will be 100% vested in their DC pensions after 5 years of service.
Bargaining Team: Road Patrol Detective Sgt. Matt Young and Corrections Sgt. Kevin Mack aided by POLC Labor Representative Christopher Hild.
New two-year agreement expires Dec. 31, 2024.
Wages:
7.28% increase effective Jan. 1, 2023.
3% increase effective Jan. 1, 2024.
Retirement: Sick Leave Payoff added for Defined Contribution plan participants.
Fringe Benefits: In-Laws added to immediate family members for Funeral Leave (mother-in-law, father-in-law, daughter-in-law and son-in-law). Juneteenth added as a paid Holiday.
Retirement: Established Deferred Retirement Option Plan (DROP) for all Employees. DROP is a supplemental benefit for Employees who are eligible to retire, but defer their retirement to continue working. Employees accrue DROP funds based on the additional time period worked and those funds accrue interest until the Employee retires. The pension multiplier increased from 2.4% to 2.64% for all Employeees. Employer’s pension contribution increased from 4% to 5.18%.
Bargaining Team: Corrections Officer Jim Crabtree, Chris Conaway and Chelsea Benedict aided by POLC Labor Representative Jim Stachowski.
Macomb Community College
Command – Lieutenants & Sergeants
New three-year agreement expires Dec. 31, 2025.
Wages:
3.5% increase effective Jan. 1, 2023.
2.5% increase effective Jan. 1, 2024.
2% increase effective Jan. 1, 2025.
Fringe Benefits: Clery Compliance Officer and Accreditation Manager both receive $1,500 annual Stipend.
Bargaining Team: Lt. Scott Sheets and Sgt. Anthony Greene aided by POLC Labor Representative Jim Stachowski.
Riverview Patrol
New four-year agreement expires June 30, 2026.
Wages:
3% increase effective July 1, 2022.
3% increase effective July 1, 2023.
3% increase effective July 1, 2024.
3% increase effective July 1, 2025.
Retirement: Brought back pension benefits to unit. Defined Benefit pension was restored with vesting occurring after 7 years of service. Employer provides 2% pension multiplier to Employees retiring at or above age 55 with 25 years of service or those retiring at or above age 60 with 20 years of service. Employer contributes 10% annually and Employees contribute 5% annually to pensions.
Bargaining Team: Rory Miller, Mike McDonald and Pam Parker aided by POLC Labor Representative Jim Stachowski.
Royal Oak – Lieutenants & Sergeants
New three-year agreement expires June 30, 2024.
Wages:
3% increase effective July 1, 2021.
3% increase effective July 1, 2022.
2.5% increase effective July 1, 2023.
*Employees each receive $2,500 one-time COVID bonus.
**Employees receive retroactive pay increases beginning July 1, 2021.
Fringe Benefits: Professional Standards Unit Commander receives a 4.5% annual premium. Juneteenth was added as a paid Holiday.
Continued on page 11
Bridgeport Township Full-Time Firefighters are a small unit, but they wanted the same protections as larger groups and they found the perfect fit as new POLC members.
“We reached out to a couple different unions and our police department here is part of POLC and they had good things to say,” said Louie Wiegele, Bridgeport Township Full-Time Firefighters Local Union President. “That seemed to be the best outlook. Our neighbors used Teamsters and they had restraints with us only being a two-member department at the time.”
The department is staffed with two Full-time Firefighters and the rest are Paid-on-Call. Prior to voting to join the POLC in February 2023, the full-time staff was not represented, but with the changing times in public safety they wanted the security of being part of a strong union.
“Due to the kind of issues going on in the world today, we wanted protection the Union could offer us — added insurance and other things that they do,” Wiegele said. “The PORAC insurance is for all public safety.”
POLC members have access to group rates for PORAC Legal Defense Fund, a public safety legal service plan for job-related litigation. Wiegele
cited a January 2023 incident in which three Memphis, Tennessee Firefighter/EMTs were fired following response to a traffic stop. Two of the three were called to the scene by police after the suspect was pepper sprayed. The suspect died days later in the hospital following the altercation with police officers. “The public and City believed it was their duty to step in and stop the police,” he said. “Our duty is to protect the citizens, however, when it comes to police issues, we don’t ever step in. When it comes to criminal investigation, that’s the police realm. There were two Firefighters/EMTs that got let go and their Lieutenant was not on scene, but also got let go for that incident.”
“You hope you never have to deal with that kind of thing, but it happens,” Wiegele said. “That was our single most important thing — what kind of protections we can get ourselves.”
POLC Labor Representative Chris Watts wasted no time getting to work on their first bargaining agreement. “We have Chris Watts as our Rep. now and he’s doing fantastic so we’re happy,” Wiegele said. “The POLC has been fantastic. I’ve only dealt with Chris Watts and (POLC Bookkeeper) Cindy Gallego and she’s been great as well. We don’t have a single bad thing to say. So far everything has been great.” d
Keego Harbor may be small, but the community has seen an increase in activity in recent years, prompting the City’s Part-Time Police Officers to seek Union representation.
“Keego Harbor is one square mile, but it’s grown so much,” said Robert Alonzi, Keego Harbor Patrol’s Local Union President. “We’re sandwiched between Pontiac, West Bloomfield and Waterford, so we’re busy at times. We border a large lake — Cass Lake — and last Fourth of July we had 15,000 people show up and we ended up needing quite a few officers for that day.”
Since Keego Harbor Full-Time Officers have been pleased with their Police Officers Labor Council (POLC) representation for over 30 years, the Part-Timers voted to join their POLC unit in March 2023. “We’re a small unit and it would make no sense to separate them, where it’s one group over the other,” Alonzi said. “We have three Part-Time and five Full-Time members. We want to foster an environment where they wouldn’t feel as isolated from the Full-Timers as they have in the past.”
They chose POLC for benefits that would improve hiring retention. “With the climate in law enforcement, like every other agency, we’re finding we’re having a difficult time hiring people,” Alonzi said. “Number one, in this day and age, it’s almost impossible to find anybody part-time let alone full-time. Basically, we did it to attract part-timers as an added benefit. Due to the size of our department, we end up with people who are retired and transitioning (moving back to the
state). We just got back up to full staff.”
Another selling point for the group was the ability to obtain low-cost legal representation through the POLC’s involvement with PORAC Legal Defense Fund. With PORAC coverage, Keego Harbor Police, who face civil or criminal proceedings related to their profession, have the assurance they are covered with legal representation.
“POLC representation provides an added protective layer as well for an officer-involved shooting or anything that might arise,” Alonzi said.
The group is pleased Keego Harbor’s Police Chief is supportive of the Part-Time Officers joining the Union for added protection, Alonzi said. Keego Harbor Part-Time Officers will now share the same Union benefits as the Full-Time Officers.
“The POLC provides a lot of resources with yearly updates with labor employment issues and it gives the Part-Timers a bit of a voice in the department and how things are run,” Alonzi said.
The Full-Time group’s prior contract expires in June, so the next agreement will be negotiated by POLC Labor Rep. Jim O’Connor with Part-Time Officers’ input.
“This is something we’ve been trying to do for years but unfortunately the older (Full-Time) people who retired never wanted it,” said Alonzi, who has been with the department since 2005. “The newer people are more amenable to it. I think it’s a good transition and I hope it’s beneficial to everyone.” d
The City of Tawas City Police Department is in its infancy as a newer agency, but now their Full-Time Officers have experienced representation.
The two-person department, which is in the process of hiring a third full-time officer, joined the Police Officers Labor Council (POLC) in December 2022.
“They used to be in a police authority with the City of East Tawas, but the municipalities split up a few years back and formed their own police departments,” said Chris Watts, their new POLC Labor Representative. “East Tawas Police Department is not unionized currently, but the City of Tawas City Police Officers have recently joined with us.”
The POLC had represented the Tawas Police Authority before the departments officially separated in March 2021.
“The City of Tawas City created its own police department the same time as the split and, two years later, reached out and wanted to be Union Employees,” Watts said.
Since the City of Tawas City Police were new Employees on probation, it took a bit longer to become unionized. “It was always their intent to unionize but they needed to get some seniority,” Watts said. “They wanted to be Union because they were at-will Employees.”
When hiring became a problem, Tawas City Full-Time Officers realized the time to unionize was now.
“There was no contract outside of just using the City’s policy for all Employees,” said Sgt. Branden Kirby, Chief Steward of the Tawas City Full-Time Police Officers. “When trying to hire and fill open slots here, it became difficult because we could not answer candidate questions. There was no direct answer to provide as far as pay and other benefits. There was no pay schedule, or any other police specific policies, so we started to look around for an outside source to help create a contract that we could use.”
The group chose the POLC based on their noteworthy reputation
Bargaining Team: Lt. Jake Theisen, Sgt. Dominic
Catanese, Lt. Karly Renaud, Sgt. Rich Millard and Sgt. Brian Kucel aided by POLC Labor Representative Jim Stachowski.
Southgate Patrol
New four-year agreement expires June 30, 2026.
Wages:
2.5% increase effective July 1, 2022.
2.5% increase effective July 1, 2023.
2% increase effective July 1, 2024.
2% increase effective July 1, 2025.
Fringe Benefits: Rolled Longevity, Clothing Allowance, Gun Allowance and Holiday Pay into Employees’ base salary, giving Employees the added paid benefits up front. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Juneteenth were added as paid Holidays.
Retirement: Employer provides a 2.5% multiplier
and the services they offer.
“POLC represents agencies that are local to Tawas City, so I spoke to a few other agencies for their thoughts,” Kirby said. “All the other agencies that I spoke to had nothing but good things to say about POLC. I contacted Chris Watts and we began creating the contract.”
As POLC members, Tawas City Full-Time Police Officers also have access to the PORAC Legal Defense Fund, which provides the assurance of having a legal team readily available if they ever face civil or criminal charges related to performing their jobs.
“The City of Tawas City Police wanted to be represented by the POLC for PORAC insurance and bargaining powers,” Watts said.
Watts helped the group bargain their first contract, a 2-1/2 year agreement with a total of 18 percent wage increases. They established a five-step pay scale with annual 4 percent step increases, plus 2 percent wage increases during the contract term, July 1, 2023 to Dec. 31, 2025.
Tawas City Police also established a Longevity pay scale with annual payouts ranging from $500 to $2,000. They added four additional paid Holidays, 40 hours of Compensatory Time and up to 36 hours of Personal Time annually. Previously, Employees did not have Compensatory Time, Personal Time or Longevity pay.
Healthcare coverage was maintained with 100 percent of the premiums paid by the Employer for medical, dental and vision insurance.
“During the process of building a new contract, as the Tawas City Police Department was without one prior, Chris always maintained contact with Tawas City members,” Sgt. Kirby said. “I enjoy the fact that the POLC is member/committee run and that most of the Executive Committee members are still working within law enforcement.”
“We’re thankful they gave us another opportunity to represent their police officers and we look forward to a continued relationship with them in the years to come,” Watts said. d
to pensions for Employees who depart with up to 25 years of service. Employer’s pension contribution increases from 8% to 8.5% effective July 1, 2024.
Bargaining Team: Officers Nick Merony, Mike Tebedo and Chris Parsons aided by POLC Labor Representative Jim Stachowski.
New two and a half-year agreement expires Dec. 31, 2025.
Wages:
2% increase effective July 1, 2023.
2% increase effective July 1, 2024.
2% increase effective July 1, 2025.
*A 5-step pay scale was established, which includes 4% annual pay increases for Employees on their employment anniversary date. The step increases are in addition to the annual pay increases listed above, bringing total pay increases to 6% annually.
Fringe Benefits: Employees received four ad-
ditional paid Holidays for a total of 12 paid Holidays. Compensatory Time was added, providing Employees with up to 40 hours of Comp Time whenever needed. Employees now have Personal Time of up to 36 hours each year. Equipment Allowance was established at $400 per year per Employee.
Longevity Pay was established as a new benefit, ranging between $500 and $2,000 each year as follows:
5 years or more of service = $500 annually.
10 years or more of service = $1,000 annually.
15 years or more of service = $1,500 annually.
20 years or more of service = $2,000 annually.
Health Care: Employees maintained existing healthcare coverage with the Employer paying 100% of the premiums for medical, dental and vision coverages.
Bargaining Team: Chief Steward Sgt. Branden Kirby and Raymond Bruning III aided by POLC Labor Representative Christopher Watts. d
