Officer Involved in Lowell Road Shooting Issues Salary Grievance

Over 20 months have passed since the last collective bargaining agreement  between the town and AFSCME Local 3657 expired, but one Windham officer believes he is still being denied a raise that is due to him.

WPD Officer Christopher Van Hirtum, who was hired by the town in October 2011, came before the Board of Selectmen on Thursday with a greivance accusing a breach of contract by Town Administrator Dave Sullivan.

Van Hirtum, who was recently in the news due to his involvement with the shooting of a Pelham man on Lowell Road, is due a step increase in pay from 20.7299 per hour to 21.9368 per hour based on the expired CBA details.

According to Selectman Roger Hohenberger, those step increases are in negotiation for the next contract.

Arguing for Van Hirtum was fellow Windham Officer Shane Mirisola, who serves as a steward for the police union and was also alongside Van Hirtum at the Lowell Road incident.

Mirisola argued that Van Hirtum was hired six months after the contract expired, but the language of the written agreement that Dave Sullivan signed indicated that the increase would come after Van Hirtum's 12-month probationary period.

"Our main argument is that Dave Sullivan did not abide by the contract that he signed with Officer Van Hirtum," Mirisola said.

He called Sullivan's contract a misleading of Van Hirtum, which Assistant Town Administrator Dana Call said was not what Sullivan had in mind.

"When the letter was written a year ago, there was no contemplation on Dave Sullivan's part that there wouldn't be a contract a year later," she said.

Sullivan was not in attendance at Thursday's meeting due to an illness.

Mirisola also argued that the town rate that Van Hirtum is currently at is not a step anywhere listed for anything.

"It's just something that was negotiated by Dave Sullivan and Officer Van Hirtum," Mirisola said.

Selectman Ross McLeod suggested the alternative phrasing that Van Hirtum is just seeking a raise, as opposed to the view of a step increase.

Call argued that Van Hirtum's rate comes from the town wage scale, and when a police employee goes into the police union wage scale, that is viewed as a step. The transition happens after the 12-month period.

Mirisola said that Van Hirtum's pay increase was the only aspect of step one not granted.

He also argued that Sullivan changed the language in contracts with two officers who were hired this year.

"He literally took out the dollar amount that Officer Van Hirtum was told that he would get," Mirisola said of Sullivan's change, explaining that it was done after he spoke with Sullivan about Van Hirtum's contract issue.

The board members did not render a decision on the greivance, wanting to hear from Sullivan. The decision to take the issue public means that the board will give its decision in public. That will happen within the next 20 days.