POLC Welcomes New Units

Livingston Dispatchers pleased with first GELC bargaining agreement

— By Jennifer Gomori, POJ Editor

Livingston County 911 Dispatchers made the move to GELC for Union representation after hearing positive comments from Livingston County Sheriff’s Department Sergeants.

“They said they were really pleased with how negotiations went,” said Mary Reed, local Dispatchers Union President.

The Sheriff’s Sergeants switched representation to POLC, GELC’s sister Union, in 2019.

“Back in 2019, you could negotiate normally,” Reed said. “Last year was different for everyone. When we had to negotiate in Zoom meetings from home, it was definitely a different vibe and everything else.”

Livingston County Dispatchers, who were represented by Michigan Association of Public Employees (MAPE), made the move to GELC in October 2020. Their contract expired Dec. 31, 2020.

“Lloyd (Whetstone) had contacted me and asked if we had been interested in switching,” Reed said of the Union’s Membership Services Representative. “There was a lot of different thoughts we had and thought maybe GELC would be a good choice at this time.”

The 24-member unit is used to seeing their Employees come and go. “It’s common — 911 is definitely one of the higher turnover jobs in all the jobs you could possibly have,” Reed said. “Some either go to other dispatch jobs with better benefits or some people just decide it’s not for them and leave and find other avenues of employment.”

GELC Labor Rep. Chet Kulesza helped the dispatchers reach a beneficial new agreement effective Jan. 1, 2021. The three-year contract, which expires Dec. 31, 2023, includes raises of 2 percent in year one and 1.5 percent in years two and three.

“I thought overall the negotiations went really well this time and we got mostly everything we asked for to some extent,” Reed said.

A Me-Too Clause was added to their contract to ensure Livingston County Dispatchers are fairly compensated.

“If the County gave more to non-union Employees (during the contract) then they would give that raise to us as well,” Reed said.

The County sought elimination of the various premium pay rates due to difficulty keeping track of them all. Instead of some Employees losing the highest premium payments to come up with a universal amount, the Employer opted to roll the difference in the highest former premium increases into the base pay. That led to restructuring the pay scale with an additional $980 included in the new base pay.

While the Employer sought removal of the option to purchase Vacation Time, like they had done with some other County Employees, GELC enshrined that benefit in the agreement.

“They were taking that away from everybody, so we negotiated purchase of 40 hours of Vacation (per year) for the duration of the new contract,” Reed said. “We have a set amount of Vacation — I get 20 days a year, but they let us purchase an additional 40 hours, which you pay for over the duration of the year. They wanted to get rid of it because some people would get the benefit and leave without paying for it over the course of the year.”

Employees who don’t use their extra purchased Vacation Hours are reimbursed at the end of the year under the new contract. d

COVID changes continued from page 6 benefits they need if they lost their loved one to COVID-19 related to their employment.

POLC/GELC Labor Representatives wrote letters to the municipalities that employ Union members making their case for hazard pay. Stidham said he’s been fighting for hazard pay for his members for months as some Employers had COVID-19 shutdown their city and township halls and police stations.

“This is over and above what they did sign up for. This is over and above everything we’ve ever known,” Stidham said. “I think there should be something in every contract for it. COVID-19 has proved to us there are going to be things out there we can’t control. So why in the world shouldn’t they have something for risking their lives over and above?”

Stidham and other POLC/GELC Labor Representatives were able to get extra pay in different forms for some of their units. Some Employers agreed to additional Comp Time. Some provided time off beyond the 80 hours which the Emergency Act allowed for in the beginning. “At this point, after it’s been a year, you look at the hospital and the emergency workers who have passed (away) because they tried to serve the public.”

Stidham said a minority of his units so far have agreed to some form of compensation as a type of hazard pay, but negotiations are far from over for Union Labor Representatives. “I think you will see (hazard pay) rolling over for negotiations over the next few years because not all contracts are expired at this time,” Canfield said.

Now more than ever, it’s important to have excellent representation providing comprehensive contracts protecting members’ health and finances. Whether in person, by phone or by video conference, you can rest assured the POLC and GELC will remain steadfast in fighting for your rights! d

Alcona County Deputies & Corrections pleased with POLC’s whole picture approach

— By Jennifer Gomori, POJ Editor

Alcona County Sheriff’s Deputies & Corrections Officers have had a tough time retaining new hires, so they joined the POLC to make the changes needed for staff to stay.

“We have a hard time being a training grounds for other departments,” said Alcona County Sheriff’s Deputy Andrew Wright, President of the Local Union. “People stay a year or two years and they up and leave and it’s 100 percent because of the economic packages that are offered by other places that have higher pay, better pensions, better working hours.”

With their contract expiring Dec. 31, 2020, Alcona County Sheriff’s Deputies and Corrections voted to join the POLC in November 2020 following 20-plus years of representation by the Police Officers Association of Michigan (POAM).

“Our neighboring department (Oscoda Township Police Department) was already with POLC. They made the switch a few years ago,” Wright said. “We were interested after talking to (Oscoda Township Police), just hearing how their first negotiations went, how POLC does comparables, and they really do their homework in terms of what’s available. That was something that was never done by POAM. It gives you a complete overview of where you’re at economically with your department compared to everyone else.”

“After we did our sit downs with a few different unions, we liked how POLC presented themselves and the amount of work that they put in toward getting a better contract,” Wright said. “He’s (POLC Labor Rep. Christopher Watts) very knowledgeable about not only our contract, but other contracts throughout the state.”

Alcona County Sheriff’s Deputies and Corrections have 18 fulltime and six part-time Employees, however Wright said, a few more Employees already had plans to leave Alcona for jobs with better pay and benefits.

“It’s been status quo with the POAM forever,” Wright said. “Our group is very excited for this new opportunity to work with a new Union. It brings hope for change to be possible in the future.”

POLC Labor Rep. Christopher Watts settled the group’s first contract through POLC by restructuring the wage scale bringing Employees immediate raises between 10.5 percent and 40 percent.

“We got them some fantastic raises,” Watts said. “They went from a 15-year to an 8-year wage scale. That’s nearly half of their wage top out.”

“The Deputies saw an immediate increase of about 14% on day one,” Watts said. “The Corrections Officers saw a 16.11% increase on top of the reduction of top out rates. They went from 15 (years)

“We got them some fantastic raises,” said POLC Labor Rep. Christopher Watts. “They went from a 15-year to an 8-year wage scale. That’s nearly half of their wage top out. The Deputies saw an immediate increase of about 14% on day one. The Corrections Officers saw a 16.11% increase on top of the reduction of top out rates.”

down to 8 years and also got a 16.11% immediate raise.”

Jail Cooks wages increased 10.5 percent and Part-Time Deputies starting wages increased $5.12 per hour, a 39.75 percent wage hike.

“Chris got us everything as far as wage increases up front the first year,” said Local Union Steward Brad Peters, an Alcona County Sheriff’s Corrections Officer. “We didn’t really lose anything. Chris definitely did his homework for us. We were in this contract mainly for the wages and he went above and beyond and got us caught up.”

The three-year contract also includes one additional longevity pay step and sizeable changes to the shift differentials. Shift differentials increased from 15 to 50 cents per hour for afternoon shifts and midnights increased from 20 cents to $1 per hour.

“You figure over a year’s time that’s a lot of money,” Peters said.

Alcona County Sheriff’s Deputies and Corrections Officers appreciated the POLC’s holistic approach to bargaining and the personal attention they’ve received.

“We had a really old contract as far as language was concerned and Chris really cleaned that up for us and brought it up to date,” Peters said. “We were very impressed with how he came in and did a presentation for us and he was very prepared. We’re very pleased with what took place. We hadn’t had quite that success in the past.”

“Chris has been awesome — just on the ball with everything. We talk very frequently. He’s always available to take a phone call, always calls back,” Wright said. “He gives us an entire representation to take a total overview of our contract. Another Union would steer us in one direction or the other. Chris is trying to make it better as a whole, which is nice.” d

Alcona County Command Officers choose POLC for stellar reputation

— By Jennifer Gomori, POJ Editor

Alcona County Sheriff’s Command Officers felt neglected by their former Union, so when their contract was close to expiring they began looking into alternative representation.

After being with the Police Officers Association of Michigan (POAM) over 20 years, they chose the Union that really impressed them — the Police Officers Labor Council (POLC) — in November 2020.

“The group as a whole felt the POAM was not giving us the attention we needed,” said Nathanael Leeseberg, Local Union President. “The group decided to explore other options, other labor groups out there that would be better suited for us. We had explored others and we just didn’t really care for the reception they gave us or the package they were offering.”

Reputation gave the POLC the opportunity to present the services they offer. “We had other (nearby) law enforcement groups that spoke highly of the POLC so we decided to listen to what they had and go that route,” Leeseberg said.

He said Command is tired of continuing the status quo. They are seeking increases in pay, more in line with neighboring police departments and they don’t want to trade away their current benefits to do so.

“We don’t want to give up anything we have right now, like Comp Time. Being Command we have to work weekends. We have to work holidays,” Leeseberg said. “We’re always scheduled on weekends to work so having the extra little bit of time off is nice.”

Leeseberg recently was promoted to Command. “We’ve had some pay increases but it’s just that we’re so underpaid compared to everyone around us,” he said. “It’s hard to even get candidates because the pay is low.”

What’s even more of a deterrent for Command staff is starting all over again on a lengthy wage scale. Prior to the POLC’s first contract for Alcona County Sheriff’s Deputies and Corrections Officers, which recently settled a three-year agreement, they had a 15-year wage scale. When Officers are promoted to Command, they begin another 15-year scale. That’s 30 years to reach the top of the pay scale.

“That’s one thing we’re talking about was the 15 years to top out,” Leeseberg said. “I’m almost 23 years in. Now they’re telling me I have to work another 15 to top out again. It’s impossible.”

POLC was able to reduce the wage scale for Alcona County Sheriff’s Deputies and Corrections Officers to an eight-year pay scale, increasing pay for that group by 10.5 percent to nearly 40 percent immediately. d

Summer Contract Settlements

— As reported by POLC/GELC Labor Representatives

Alcona County Deputies & Corrections Officers

• New three-year agreement expires Dec. 31, 2023.

• Wages:

14% effective Jan. 1, 2021 for Deputies due to wage scale adjustment. 16.11% effective Jan. 1, 2021 for Corrections Officers due to wage scale adjustment. 10.5% effective Jan. 1, 2021 for Jail Cooks due to wage scale adjustment. 39.75% effective Jan. 1, 2021 for Part-Time Deputies due to wage scale adjustment. * The wage scale was reduced from 15 years to 8 years, reducing the time to top out at the highest pay by nearly half. • Fringe Benefits: An additional step of $750 was added to Longevity. Now

Employees are paid $500 per year in Longevity for 10-14 years of service; $750 per year for 15-19 years of service and $1,000 annually for 20 plus years of service. Bereavement time increased from 3 to 5 days. • Manning & Safety: Afternoon Shift Differentials increased from $.15 cents to $.50 cents per hour. Midnights increased from $.20 cents to $1 an hour. • Bargaining Team: Local Union President Andrew Wright and Union

Stewards Brad Peters and Robert Clink aided by POLC Labor Representative

Christopher Watts.

Barry County Corrections

• New five-year agreement expires Dec. 31, 2025.

• Wages:

2% effective Jan. 1, 2021. 2.25% effective Jan. 1, 2022. 2% effective Jan. 1, 2023. 2.25% effective Jan. 1, 2024. 2% effective Jan. 1, 2025. • Retirement: The Retiree Health Care Stipend was changed to a monthly payment into a Health Care Savings Plan. Employees were paid out their existing years of service, which was placed into the HCSP. • Bargaining Team: Eric Vanvalkenburg and Heidi Bustance aided by GELC

Labor Representative John Stidham.

Charter Township of Bridgeport Police Officers

• New three-year agreement expires Dec. 31, 2023.

• Wages:

3% effective Jan. 1, 2021. 3% effective Jan. 1, 2022. 3% effective Jan. 1, 2023. • Retirement: Employee Pension Contribution increased from 3% to 4% in 2021 and 4% to 5% in 2023. • Fringe Benefits: Holiday Pay increased from 8 hours to 12 hours per Holiday. Employees now receive the top level of benefits for Paid Time Off at 10 years of service instead of the previous 22 years of service.