5-9-23
City Manager Curl and City Attorney Aleshire,
I am writing you because other people below you have failed in their responsibilities, and this requires my direct approach.
The earth has completed one rotation around the sun since the POA engaged the City of Richmond regarding an FLSA Settlement similar to Local 188 regarding the FLSA and Holiday Pay.
At this point, I am ready to advise the POA membership that we should pursue litigation over this issue (that you already settled with the firefighters), go public, have items brought to council and placed on agendas, discuss with council members all of the failures, lack of response, incompetence etc.
None of this is difficult. Richmond does not have a Space X program designing rockets.
For the better part of a year, we have been told that it's a problem with calculations, payroll has staffing issues, excuses, etc. To be frank, POA members are tired of the lack of response (contract attorney or city staff) regarding pay and benefits that are owed to them.
When the City of Richmond overpays my members, it promptly asks for money back and that is promptly addressed. When the City owes its workers, glaciers take over at city hall.
Our law firm, Rains Lucia Stern, specifically Vance Piggot, (CC'ed) has stayed engaged with LCW, specifically LCW Attorney Lisa Charbonneau (CC'ed). At every turn, we are waiting for the City of Richmond to figure out how to count or sign an agreement, you name the excuse and it appears. Every quick response by the POA via our attorney in this matter has been met with the usual City of Richmond crickets.
I have met with and emailed the Deputy City Manager of Internal Services on this issue and others the response has been lackluster to sometimes nothing at all.
City Manager Curl, I brought this up in a city-wide union meeting, and you did not want to talk about the issue amongst other bargaining units, yet I have still not heard from you on this issue or others that I have been pursuing.
This FLSA issue, Acting Time being calculated incorrectly, MUNIS issues, having approved claims for COVID and 4850 approved, and our letter on the “Me Too” from the Personnel Board you have to sign (also almost a year), all have been raised internally and need to be addressed as they negatively affect morale.
If you want us to go to court at every turn, let me know so I, as the POA labor representative, can promptly notify the people I represent, your cops.
Sincerely,
Sgt. Benjamin Therriault
Richmond Police Team 5
Northern District, Beat 7
President, Richmond POA