White Oak OKs new contract for police

By JEFF STITT

jstitt@yourmvi.com

A new police contract for White Oak officers was approved at Monday’s council meeting.

With council deadlocked in a 3-3 vote, Mayor Ina Jean Marton cast a tie-breaking vote in favor of the contract.

Casting yes votes were council President Chuck Davis and councilmen Lou Bender and Joe Nagy, both retired White Oak police officers.

Councilmen George Dillinger, Ken Robb and George Pambacas all voted against the contract. Councilwoman Julie Opferman abstained due to a conflict of interest as her husband is a borough police officer.

The contract has a retroactive starting date of Jan. 1, 2021, and extends through Dec. 31, 2024.

Bender, who is chair of the Public Safety Committee, said the contract comes with a 3% pay raise for officers in the first and second years and 2.5% raises in the third and fourth years.

“I just want to first state that I do support our ladies and gentlemen that are police officers in White Oak,” Dillinger said before voting no. “My vote purely is from a financial standpoint. This is the first year that I think that I’ve been on council that we’ve had a four-year deal. We just went through a 13% increase in health care, and we didn’t ask for any contribution of participation from the union.

“As a matter of fact, there’s a clause in the contract that states that both parties must mutually agree upon any change in the health care. I know one thing. My employer doesn’t ask me what my thoughts are on changing our healthcare. So I’m not too crazy about that provision.”

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