FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT PERSON: ADAM BYRD (UNION PRESIDENT)
EMAIL: abyrd@vbtpatrolunion.org
VAN BUREN TOWNSHIP PATROL OFFICERS UNION WAGES REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY
“Together we are Unionized”
On Thursday January 30, 2014 I had the opportunity to read a local paper in which one of the articles were titled 6th annual report to taxpayers and subtitled Van Buren Township Public Safety Department Employee Wages and Actual Cost to Township 1/1/13 – 12/31/13. This article gave a detailed summary of the name of all the employees their police wages, fire wages, benefits, and total compensation.
As the Union President of the Van Buren Township Patrol Officers Union it is fundamental that we as union officials maintain the highest standards of integrity. Governmental employees are under extreme scrutiny and local media has every right to inform the public concerning monetary issues. This concept should not be violated and this union will not challenge that right.
The Van Buren Township Patrol Officers Union consists of 39 members for the year 2013. It should be understood that the command officers are not members of the Van Buren Township Patrol Officers Union. Our members are comprised of police officers, dispatchers, and police officers that work as firefighters. This press release will not address or attempt to explain the blended rate issue (police officers that work as firefighters). That issue is outside of this bargaining unit and is the responsibility for management to manage. This article will give you an analysis of our union members for the year of 2013 and compare our membership to an employee making minimum wage which is regulated in the State of Michigan as $7.40 an hour.
FACTS OF STUDY:
| Total number of Van Buren Township Patrol Officer Union Members for the year 2013 | 39 |
| Average cost per Van Buren Township Patrol Officers Union Members to community for 2013 | $93,701.25 |
| Average cost per minimum wage worker making $7.40 an hour assuming that they have the same benefit package | $48,721.17 |
| DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN AVERAGE COST PER VAN BUREN TOWNSHIP PATROL OFFICER UNION MEMBER IN 2013 AND AN AVERAGE MINIMUM WAGE WORKER WITH THE SAME BENEFITS AS OUR CONTRACT | $44,980.08 |
Police officers protect lives and property, enforce laws, respond to our community’s calls for service, conduct traffic stops, write detailed reports, testify in court, arrest criminals and put their lives on the line daily. Dispatchers, are the people routing police officers to emergency runs, summoning ambulances and helicopters to medical scenes, and hearing people in their most stressful moment. In addition the study does not show the fact that our union membership pays 10% of their medical cost, 5% into pension, and a percentage into union dues.
As the Union President of the Van Buren Township Patrol Officers Union I am suggesting that $44,980.08 above a minimum waged worker is not out of balance for the job our membership performs. I thank are community and hope that you will come back and visit our website soon.
Adam Byrd
Union President
| LAST NAME | FIRST NAME | POLICE WAGES | FIRE WAGES | BENEFITS | TOTAL COMPENSATION | MINIMUM WAGE WORKER $7.40 WITH BENEFITS | NET |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champange | David | $70,872.28 | $48,023.55 | $41,993.20 | $160,889.03 | $58,154.80 | $102,734.23 |
| McCormick | Ryan | $68,701.28 | $46,141.07 | $40,964.43 | $155,806.78 | $57,126.03 | $98,680.75 |
| McInally | David | $53,480.43 | $48,320.98 | $38,308.62 | $140,110.03 | $54,470.22 | $85,639.81 |
| Toney | Kenneth | $82,652.21 | $37,652.62 | $120,304.83 | $53,814.22 | $66,490.61 | |
| McCarthy | Donovan | $80,715.95 | $37,272.13 | $117,988.08 | $53,433.73 | $64,554.35 | |
| Schulz | Alexander | $80,336.33 | $37,172.97 | $117,509.30 | $53,334.57 | $64,174.73 | |
| Buxton | Mark | $78,779.66 | $36,891.67 | $115,671.33 | $53,053.27 | $62,618.06 | |
| Stanton | Jeffrey | $74,873.66 | $40,693.13 | $115,566.79 | $56,854.73 | $58,712.06 | |
| Byrd | Adam | $73,743.95 | $40,471.06 | $114,215.01 | $56,632.66 | $57,582.35 | |
| Yono | Frederick | $70,324.03 | $42,622.22 | $112,946.25 | $58,783.82 | $54,162.43 | |
| Perez | Derek | $75,771.88 | $36,264.68 | $112,036.56 | $52,426.28 | $59,610.28 | |
| Sweet | Frederick | $72,761.89 | $35,709.20 | $108,471.09 | $51,870.80 | $56,600.29 | |
| Traster | Carrie | $68,366.96 | $39,414.52 | $107,781.48 | $55,576.12 | $52,205.36 | |
| Bidwell | Ryan | $67,990.88 | $39,340.61 | $107,331.49 | $55,502.21 | $51,829.28 | |
| Hayes | Christopher | $69,829.65 | $35,132.99 | $104,962.64 | $51,294.59 | $53,668.05 | |
| Smith | Amy | $70,596.78 | $34,225.59 | $104,822.37 | $50,387.19 | $54,435.18 | |
| Wehrman | Patrick | $69,411.72 | $35,050.88 | $104,462.60 | $51,212.48 | $53,250.12 | |
| Valinski | Christopher | $68,826.67 | $34,892.48 | $103,719.15 | $51,054.08 | $52,665.07 | |
| Rini | Michael | $78,249.95 | $23,978.70 | $102,228.65 | $40,140.30 | $62,088.35 | |
| Harrison | Dale | $69,328.13 | $32,547.33 | $101,875.46 | $48,708.93 | $53,166.53 | |
| Herrick | Christopher | $66,926.30 | $32,039.36 | $98,965.66 | $48,200.96 | $50,764.70 | |
| Raschke | Matthew | $64,265.25 | $34,018.35 | $98,283.60 | $50,179.95 | $48,103.65 | |
| Barry | Ryan | $70,449.10 | $22,445.82 | $92,894.92 | $38,607.42 | $54,287.50 | |
| Long | Michael | $69,798.30 | $22,914.77 | $92,713.07 | $39,076.37 | $53,636.70 | |
| Griggs | Scott | $69,631.13 | $22,321.13 | $91,952.26 | $38,482.73 | $53,469.53 | |
| Lucas | Gretchen | $55,018.12 | $32,142.23 | $87,160.35 | $48,303.83 | $38,856.52 | |
| Martin | Robert | $54,369.08 | $31,983.50 | $86,352.58 | $48,145.10 | $38,207.48 | |
| Smyth | Keith | $63,563.80 | $19,567.00 | $83,130.80 | $35,728.60 | $47,402.20 | |
| Smith | Joseph | $53,536.89 | $25,116.92 | $78,653.81 | $41,278.52 | $37,375.29 | |
| Jones | Julie | $58,398.04 | $20,002.81 | $78,400.85 | $36,164.41 | $42,236.44 | |
| Vettraino | Heather | $56,894.72 | $20,327.64 | $77,222.36 | $36,489.24 | $40,733.12 | |
| Baker | Georgia | $48,486.62 | $27,942.70 | $76,429.32 | $44,104.30 | $32,325.02 | |
| Donaldson | Sally | $54,998.43 | $19,322.94 | $74,321.37 | $35,484.54 | $38,836.83 | |
| Rea | Terri | $53,700.09 | $19,640.48 | $73,340.57 | $35,802.08 | $37,538.49 | |
| Brooks | Terri | $58,426.59 | $12,134.22 | $70,560.81 | $28,295.82 | $42,264.99 | |
| DuFresne | Susan | $21,767.27 | $4,318.66 | $26,085.93 | $20,480.26 | $5,605.67 | |
| Bettendorf | William | $17,375.40 | $7,707.66 | $25,083.06 | $23,869.26 | $1,213.80 | |
| Springer | Kathleen | $4,073.88 | $9,247.94 | $13,321.82 | $25,409.54 | $(12,087.72) | |
| Waldrop | Myra | $649.08 | $127.54 | $776.62 | $16,289.14 | $(15,512.52) | |
| TOTALS | $2,387,942.38 | $142,485.60 | $1,123,920.70 | $3,654,348.68 | $1,754,223.10 | $1,900,125.58 |
