HOWELL – A contract between Howell and the Howell Policemen’s Benevolent Association (PBA) has been ratified by the Township Council.
Council members signed off on the agreement during a meeting on Dec. 19. The contract runs from Jan. 1, 2017 through Dec. 31, 2019.
Howell Patrolman Ryan Hurley, a state delegate for Howell PBA Local 228, and Howell Detective Chris Nagy, the president of Local 228, negotiated the agreement on behalf of the patrolmen and detectives who are employed in the Howell Police Department. The starting salary for a patrolman will remain at about $35,000.
The union’s members had been working under the terms of a contract that expired on Dec. 31, 2016.
The PBA was able to negotiate a 1.25 percent raise on the top pay only, which goes into effect Jan. 1 of each year.
Employees who are hired after Jan. 1, 2018, will not receive some of the benefits current officers have, specifically longevity pay and an education incentive, according to Hurley. The new contract eliminates one holiday for new hires after Jan. 1, 2018.
Hurley said that through negotiations, longevity pay for current employees was able to be retained.
All of the PBA members will leave their current healthcare program, Direct10, and enroll in Direct15, which will carry a higher copay and a higher deductible, according to the union representatives.