Yahoo Finance Dixmoor Mayor Fitzgerald Roberts says village issued $3,666 check to Illinois Council of Police for deducted union dues
Dixmoor Mayor Fitzgerald Roberts said Tuesday the village has written a $3,666 check to the Illinois Council of Police for dues collected.
Roberts said village officials found the previous administration changed the payroll system so union dues weren’t sent to the council, but said his administration has since reversed that action.
Village spokesman Travis Akin said Wednesday village attorney James Vasselli would hand deliver the check to union officials. Akin said village officials reviewed payroll records to determine how much was owed.
“The check is on the way,” Roberts said.
Roberts said in a statement the $3,666 payment covers $2,470.50 for 2022 deductions and $1,195.50 for 2023 deductions.
“We reviewed our records and discovered due to a clerical error we did indeed owe money for dues. Today, the Village sent the money owed for union dues and we are taking steps to ensure future payments to ICOP are paid in full and on time,” Roberts said in the release.
Alexander Dunn, an attorney and executive director of council, and Roberts both said village officials and the union haven’t met to discuss the union dues deduction.
Dunn requested an Illinois State Police investigation into the lack of payment, saying the money is used to fund the officers’ union expenses and other benefits, such as life insurance. Dunn also filed a charge with the Illinois Labor Relations Board because he said the city won’t sign a negotiated and agreed to contract with the union.
After the union issued a news release about Dixmoor deducting the union dues but not sending them to the union, Dunn said Vasselli sent the union a letter Dec. 29.
In the letter, Vasselli asked the union to send the village an invoice stating how much the village owes, evidence of any union dues deducted by the village in the last 12 months and to provide the name of the union steward or other village designees with whom the village can discuss ongoing union issues.
Vasselli offered to meet with union officials Jan. 8 in the letter. Dunn said he talked with Vasselli and agreed to meet if he has “authority to take action,” such as paying the dues or signing the contract. Dunn said Vasselli just told him the offer to meet stands, so Dunn canceled the meeting.
“It’s not a genuine offer to meet if you can’t act,” Dunn said.
Dunn said he also took issue with the village’s request for an invoice for union dues owed because the village’s Human Resources Department has that data. Dunn said he did sent the village a redacted pay stub to show deductions have been made.
“They can see it all,” Dunn said.
Dunn said typically city and village officials who have members in the Illinois Council of Police send the union a roster of police officers, how much money was taken from each officer’s check for union dues and a check with that dues money, Dunn said.
Beginning in April 2021, the union had not received union dues funds from Dixmoor officials, Dunn said. When the union reached out in July 2022 about the missing payments, the village sent a check for $6,615, which the union received the next month, he said.
But since August 2022, the union has again not received a check from Dixmoor, Dunn said.
