Quick Hits: White Lake Township Board Settles All Employee Union Contracts

For the first time, in as long as they can remember, the township board has simultaneously approved contracts for all township union employees including police, fire and township office workers.

"I can't remember the last time we had all contracts settled," Trustee Todd Birkle said as he thanked Supervisor Greg Baroni and all who worked on the contracts.

Howard Shifman, the attorney who worked to draft the contracts, told the board he was extremely pleased with the contracts and felt confident in recommending approval.

"The employees all worked very hard to get these done," he said. "The township will be able to recognize some savings through health care concessions."

Across the board, all union employees will be paying higher co-pays and deductibles, according to the township.

All groups will see their wages frozen until 2014.

The only group to receive a raise was the police patrol group. They will receive one lump sum payment of a two percent retroactive raise from 2009.

According to Shifman, in 2009 all union employees except the police received a two percent raise. Making sure police received this compensation was one point the police department would not concede.

Other items approved Wednesday include:

• A job description for the position of bank specialist in the treasurer's office.
• A request from the fire department to purchase two thermal imaging cameras. The department had the money budgeted, and the board went with the lowest of three bids two purchase the two from Time Energy Equipment Company for $21,990.