Huntington Woods Public Safety Officers
CONTRACT
“We were really grateful for being able to be represented by MAP. This negotiation was the easiest we’ve ever done,” said Joe Ajlouny, Huntington Woods Public Safety Officers Local Union President. “Chad and MAP had a lot of information prepared, including our comparables for now through the next four years. They were on the ball and easily accessible and readily available. It’s been a great experience and everyone is really happy. They’ve been allowing us to sell our 12 (paid) Holidays at end of year if we didn’t use them. Now, they’ve allowed us to do that with our Vacation Time as well. They know when a guy goes on vacation, they pay Overtime or they can sell that time back to them at cost.”
Wage Increases:
6% increase effective July 1, 2023.
5% increase effective July 1, 2024.
5% increase effective July 1, 2025.
4% increase effective July 1, 2026.
Fringe Benefits: Employees now have the option of being paid for unused Vacation Time at the end of each year.
Bargaining Team: MAP Labor Relations Specialist Chad Trussler with Local Union President Joe Ajlouny, Vice President Brian Luther and Secretary Dan Steeby.
Huntington Woods Public Safety Officers select MAP for optimal representation
By Jennifer Gomori, MAP Editor
Sometimes it’s not just about what you know, but who you know when it comes to seeking out optimal representation. Michigan Association of Police (MAP) checked off all the right boxes with Huntington Woods Public Safety Officers, who joined the Union in February 2023.
Huntington Woods Public Safety Officers were originally represented by Police Officers Association of Michigan (POAM), followed by the Police Officers Labor Council (POLC) for the past 8 years. Concerned they were not receiving the representation they desired during contract negotiations, they voted to join MAP.
Local Union President Joe Ajlouny became curious about MAP after former Beverly Hills Public Safety Lt. Chad Trussler retired and became a MAP Labor Relations Specialist in 2021. Trussler had served 15 years combined as Beverly Hills Command Officers Local Union President and a Steward and Treasurer for Beverly Hills Public Safety Officers.
Huntington Woods Public Safety Officers continue to be impressed with the responsiveness of their MAP Labor Relations Specialist.
“It’s been outstanding. He will answer the phone whenever you call. He will respond back the second you text,” Ajlouny said. “Chad even put out his cell phone number to the meeting members that couldn’t attend. He’s literally been so accommodating in every aspect. Prior unions were pretty difficult to get somebody on the phone. With MAP and Chad it’s different. MAP has walked us through every step of it from the vote to the ratification of the contract we just signed.”
Read more: Huntington Woods Public Safety Officers select MAP for optimal representation
Non-profit offers free hunting weekend for physically disabled First Responders
A Michigan non-profit is offering a free special hunt for disabled first responders. Current or former first responders with a physical disability that is preventing them from going hunting are encouraged to apply to participate in the First Responders Hunt, organized by Hunt 2 Heal.
Safari Club Mid-Michigan Chapter is hosting the free weekend for physically disabled first
responders, which includes lodging and meals. Prospective participants may apply for one of five hunting weekends planned from September to December 2023.
Hunt 2 Heal provides outdoor hunting for individuals with disabilities to experience the outdoors at no cost and without worry. The dedicated barrier-free lodge and 640-acre property in Bitely, Michigan (near Big Rapids) has been designed for people with physical disabilities. Specially designed hunting blinds with groomed trails and assistance from skilled guides allow for “any type of wheelchair or adaptive equipment,” according to the Hunt 2 Heal press release.
Click here for more information in the Hunt 2 Heal Flyer.
To submit your application and for more details, visit Hunt 2 Heal’s website or connect with Hunt 2 Heal on Facebook.
Law Enforcement line-of-duty fatalities plummet in first half of 2023
Excerpted from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund
Nationally, the number of law enforcement line-of-duty fatalities has plummeted by 66 percent in the first half of 2023 compared to the first six months of 2022, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) 2023 Mid-Year Preliminary Law Enforcement Officers Fatalities Report.
From Jan. 1 to June 30, 2023, 52 federal, state, county, municipal, military, and campus officers died in the line of duty compared to 153 officers who died during the same time period in 2022, according to the 2023 mid-year report. While much of this decline is attributed to a significant reduction in COVID-19-related deaths, law enforcement line-of-duty deaths are down across the board.
“There is no good news in reporting the death of even a single police officer,” said NLEOMF Interim CEO Bill Alexander, “yet based on this preliminary data, we are cautiously optimistic that conditions may be improving for our law enforcement professionals who willingly put themselves at risk to serve and protect.”
Traffic-related fatalities fell dramatically by 63 percent with 11 deaths by mid-year 2023 compared to 30 during the same period last year. Two of those 11 officers were struck and killed deploying Tire Deflation Devices (TDD). Both officers worked for the same law enforcement agency, but were killed in separate incidents. Struck-by fatalities dropped 82 percent, from 11 in 2022 to two in 2023. Of the remaining 2023 mid-year traffic-related fatalities: five officers were killed in automobile crashes; three were involved single-vehicle crashes; and one died in a motorcycle crash.
Read more: Law Enforcement line-of-duty fatalities plummet in first half of 2023
Green Oak Township Patrol Officers
CONTRACT
“As soon as we signed the contract we got a 3 percent pay increase from the last year,” said Joe Sparks, Green Oak Township Patrol Officers Local Union President. “We received either $2,000 (individual) or $4,000 (family) contributions into our healthcare spending accounts. We did get the 12-hour shifts. That was our members’ number one request. The guys wanted it for a number of different reasons, like more time to spend with family and more days off. Overall, there are more hours worked yearly, but not as many consecutive days spent at work. Rather than work short days, we get paid for the extra hours worked.”
Wage Increases:
3% increase effective February 2023.
3% increase effective April 1, 2023.
3% increase effective April 1, 2024.
3% increase effective April 1, 2025.
3% increase effective April 1, 2026.
Manning & Safety: Employees transitioned from an 8-hour to 12-hour shift schedule.
Retirement: Beginning April 2026, the Employer will match 100% up to $5,000 per Employee contribution into a 457 Voluntary Supplemental Retirement plan. Upon successful passage of the millage renewal in 2024, the parties agree to a 457 matching contribution Re-opener to include the 2024 and 2025 contract years.
Bargaining Team: MAP Labor Relations Specialist Chad Trussler with Local Union President Joe Sparks, Vice President Brittany Besso and Secretary David Vaseloff.
Gov. Whitmer signs traffic reduction, park safety legislation helping first responders improve public safety
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed three bipartisan bills into law assisting first responders by enabling them to better protect the public. SB 125 and HB 4153 address rail grade separation by providing communities an opportunity to obtain grant funding to build overpasses and underpasses to go around railroad crossings and SB 59 expands the peace officer definition to include DNR conservation officers.
“Rail grade separation will keep drivers safe on local roads and alleviate backed up traffic at rail crossings, especially in the Downriver area,” Gov. Whitmer said. “… Offering conservation officers the same authority as other law enforcement will help them keep people facing mental health crises safe and protect our parks.”
Senate Bill 125, sponsored by state Sen. Darrin Camilleri (D-Trenton), and House Bill 4153, sponsored by state Rep. Jaime Churches (D-Wyandotte), authorizes the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) to create a local grade separation grant program and fund. The fund can be used by local communities to build overpasses and underpasses, separating vehicle traffic from railroad traffic. Delays caused by trains can slow down the flow of traffic and represent a safety hazard for cars and pedestrians. This legislation offers communities with rail crossings resources to improve traffic flow, reduce delays, and save lives.
“Grade separations are critical to public safety,” said Woodhaven Mayor Patricia Odette. “The City of Woodhaven has experienced first-hand the impact blocked railroad crossings have to the safety of our residents. When fire and police are detoured, those lost minutes are critical to the outcome for the person waiting on the other side of the train. We appreciate Governor Whitmer, Senator Darrin Camilleri, Representative Jamie Thompson and all the legislators that made this grade separation grant fund possible.”
“I’ve been talking about Downriver’s train problem to anyone who would listen since I first took office, and it’s because I knew we could do more to solve it,” said Camilleri, who first introduced his statewide grade separation program legislation in 2017. “With this historic legislation, we will have a pathway to building more bridges at the most problematic rail crossings across our state and address some of our most critical transportation, public safety, and economic development issues.”
2023 Carl Parsell Scholars share passion for careers, helping others
By Jennifer Gomori, MAP Editor
2023 Carl Parsell Scholarship recipients Nolan Campbell of Shelby Township and Marisa Fisher of Sterling Heights share a passion for their future careers. Now they each have $2,500 in scholarship funding to help them achieve those dreams.
While they are at different points in their educational journey, Fisher, a Central Michigan University junior, and Campbell, who graduated high school in May, began preparing for their careers in high school and enjoy helping others in their communities and schools. Both have earned honors for academic excellence.
The two were formally recognized at the 33rd Annual Carl Parsell Memorial Golf Outing on June 8, 2023 at Links of Novi.
The Carl Parsell Scholarship Fund, established in 1991, continues the legacy of Carl Parsell, a law enforcement union movement pioneer, by improving the lives and futures of others through education. Scholarships are awarded annually to Michigan family members of Michigan Association of Police (MAP), Michigan Association of Public Employees (MAPE) and Michigan Association of Fire Fighters (MAFF) union members.
Since the fund's inception, $143,000 in scholarships have been awarded. Scholarship funds are derived from the Annual Carl Parsell Memorial Scholarship Golf Outing.
Carl Parsell Scholar, son of law enforcement officers, plans career in cyber security
By Jennifer Gomori, MAP Editor
Carl Parsell Scholarship recipient Nolan Campbell of Shelby Township has not one, but two parents in law enforcement and he also has aspirations of helping others through his own career.
“Like Carl Parsell, I want to help defend the rights of others,” Campbell wrote in his 2023 Carl Parsell Scholarship application. “I plan to attend Grand Valley State University and study Computer Science with a focus in Cyber Security.”
Campbell, 17, is the stepson of MAP member Heather Marie Campbell, a St. Clair Shores Police Sergeant. He is the son of Monica Harvey of Shelby Township and Martin Campbell of Macomb, who retired as an Eastpointe Police Lieutenant in 2022 after 26 years of service.
His $2,500 Carl Parsell Scholarship will help him focus more on his studies and worry less about the cost.
“This scholarship will help me achieve my dream to attend college,” he wrote. “If chosen, I will be able to take more classes at a time and to have more time to continue my involvement to support my community.”
He’s already done an excellent job of preparing to be successful in his pursuits, completing three computer science courses in high school. He graduated summa cum laude with a 3.75 GPA from Stoney Creek High School in Rochester Hills in May 2023 and received a 1220 on his SAT.
Campbell was a National Honor Society member during his junior and senior years. Through the National Honor Society, he participated in food drives for local charities and the Caleb White Project, collecting and delivering furniture and other houseware items, and painting and making repairs to complete housing projects in Detroit for homeless veterans.
Read more: Carl Parsell Scholar, son of law enforcement officers, plans career in cyber security
Carl Parsell Scholarship helps CMU student expand her higher education
By Jennifer Gomori, MAP Editor
Marisa Fisher was looking to expand her college education and receiving a 2023 Carl Parsell Scholarship is helping her reach that goal.
The 20-year-old Sterling Heights resident is the daughter of MAP member Christine R. Fisher, a Sterling Heights Police Department Administrative Secretary, and Matthew Fisher. She graduated Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Sterling Heights in 2021 and has a 3.68 GPA at Central Michigan University.
Thanks in part to her $2,500 Carl Parsell Scholarship for the 2023-24 academic year, the Fashion Merchandising major now has dual minors in Journalism and Theater.
“School can be very expensive, but getting support from different scholarships is very helpful, because I am also adding another minor and that adds a lot more classes,” she said. “Getting a Carl Parsell Scholarship made it easier to be confident in my decision to add a minor in Journalism, instead of pushing it aside until I have more money to do it or just learning it myself.”
Fisher received $12,115 during the 2022-23 academic year through Central Michigan University scholarships and grants and a Pell Grant. Her career plans are to work as a fashion stylist or fashion writer/editor of a magazine. “One of my goals is to focus on sustainability in fashion,” she said.
She has been very involved on campus, while gaining experience in her career field. She’s a member of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society through Macomb Community College, where she attended her first year of college. She transferred to Central Michigan last fall and just completed her second year of higher education.
Read more: Carl Parsell Scholarship helps CMU student expand her higher education
Whitmer signs bills to retain police officers through reimbursement of academy training costs
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation aimed at retaining police officers and keeping communities safe. The legislation allows law enforcement agencies to enter into agreements to collect reimbursement for all or part of the cost of an employee’s academy training, based on the length of service, if the employee voluntarily leaves the agency within four years of completing academy training.
“As a former prosecutor, public safety is a top priority for me and I will work with anyone to keep Michigan
communities safe,” Whitmer said. “These bills will help police departments provide quality academy training and retain officers so they can build relationships with the communities they serve. Since I took office, we have delivered more than $1 billion to help local governments hire more first responders, and I will continue working with my partners in the legislature to expand opportunity and keep Michigan communities safe.”
“As a 50-year public servant with strong roots in law enforcement; I understand that retaining police officers is crucial to maintaining the stability and effectiveness of law enforcement agencies within our communities,” said Wayne County Executive Warren C. Evans. “High turnover rates disrupt the continuity of operations, while maintaining a stable workforce helps to preserve institutional knowledge and build trust within the communities.”
Whitmer signed House Bill 4176 and Senate Bill 32 aimed at retaining police officers by allowing, in certain situations, law enforcement agencies to enter into agreements to recuperate 100 percent of academy training costs if they leave the agency within one year, 75 percent if they leave between one and two years, 50 percent if they leave between two and three years, and 25 percent if they leave between three and four years. The bills will allow local communities to keep more of their taxpayer dollars and retain officers that have built relationships with residents, as well as allow local governments to hire more officers without cutting services.
"For too long, police recruits knew they could receive the best training available at DPD, and then take that training to a suburban department that paid them more,” said Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. “We've addressed the pay issue, and thanks to the leadership of Gov. Whitmer, Rep. Tyrone Carter and Sen. Sylvia Santana, Chief White will be able to retain the officers he trains and maintain the staffing level he needs to help make neighborhoods safer."
Green Oak Township Command Officers
CONTRACT
“The Education Stipend was the best takeaway for us. We felt very strongly given the research that the higher the education level of the Officer, the lower likeliness of lawsuits against them,” said Sgt. Alicia Montes, Green Oak Township Command Officers Local Union President. "We thought we should be awarded for extending our education beyond what the minimum is for the department. Annual Tuition Reimbursement of $1,500 was always there, but we negotiated an Educational Stipend, which has not been there. Once you obtain a bachelor’s degree or higher, the Employer will give you $1,500 the first paycheck in December every single year. It worked out for us since three of the four of us already have their bachelor’s degrees and the other should be done this year. The Employer’s MERS contribution went from 8% to 10%, increasing a half percent each year up to the 10%. Upon successful passage of the millage renewal in 2024, the parties agree to a Re-opener to include years 2024 and 2025 for 457 contributions by the Employer. We asked for $5,000 matching contributions (to the 457 plans) and received it in 2026, to make up for the Tier 2 Employees having less than Tier 1 Employees. As long as the millage passes, we can negotiate for matching contributions next year and in 2025.”
Contract Duration: 5-year agreement, effective July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2027.
Wage Increases:
3% increase effective Feb. 9, 2023.
3% increase effective April 1, 2023.
3% increase effective April 1, 2024.
3% increase effective April 1, 2025.
3% increase effective April 1, 2026.
- The first pay increase is retroactive to the date Patrol received their initial pay raises under their new contract.
- Decreased pay scale steps to reach top Sergeant pay quicker, from 18 months to 12 months.
- Sergeants maintain 15% pay increase above Patrol for an annual salary top out of $101,250 by April 1, 2026.
- Lieutenants maintain a 20% pay increase above Patrol for an annual top out salary of $105,661 by April 1, 2026.
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