The former president of the now disbanded Amherstburg Police Association is sharing his thoughts on the town holding payments from his former members.
Shawn McCurdy is reacting to comments he heard on AM800 news this morning from Mayor Aldo DiCarlo saying his former members are satisfied with the town holding payments.
McCurdy says those comments are inaccurate and his former members are not pleased.
"The mayor's inaccurate," says McCurdy. "There's not anybody that's not satisfied."
"I couldn't believe it, I don't know where he's getting this information from," says McCurdy. "I have not talked to a member of the former police service that's satisfied with what the town has been doing here."
"It's very disheartening and disrespectful in my opinion we're being treated this way," says McCurdy.
As heard on AM800 news Monday morning, recently retired sergeant Scott Riddell says he and other members are frustrated and have reached out to the Ministry of Labour asking why the town is holding payments from staff.
McCurdy says his former members want what is owned to them.
"Our association passed the motion back in December to allow our executive to continue to deal with this and I can tell you that it's been extremely frustrating trying to get information from the municipality," says McCurdy. "So as you are aware a lot of them are very frustrated and they've filed complaints with the ministry."
McCurdy says all members of the former force are owed money for overtime, statutory holiday pay, banked sick time and even vacation pay from 2018.
He says his former members continue to reach out to members of council.
"I believe members have started to email council and I know I've reached to some of the councillors to speak to them and try and get some movement on this," says McCurdy. "It's not fair."
He says the members that decided to not to join Windsor police are expected to receive their severance pay this week.
McCurdy says they were notified late Friday afternoon.
The Amherstburg Police Service disbanded on New Year's Day after Windsor police took over policing duties in Amherstburg.
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Original story
A recently retired sergeant with the now-disbanded Amherstburg Police force wants to know what's taking so long.
Scott Riddell says he and other members of the disbanded force have reached out to the Ministry of Labour looking for answers when it comes to pay that's owed to them.
Riddell claims the town is holding payments from overtime, statutory hours along with banked overtime for the month of December.
He says he and his former co-workers are disappointed and frustrated.
"Treated very poorly through the whole process by certain members of the administration and now this, right," says Riddell. "It's like everyone just wants to get on with the Windsor police merger and just want it done and here we are, now we're fighting for stuff. We're talking about wages. This ain't even about the severance. The severance is something else on top of that."
He says town officials have stopped answering emails.
"We've been given no information as far as when they're going to pay out any of the wages, the overtime," says Riddell. "Regardless of severance, guys are still owed overtime, they're owed banked overtime, stat time, different hours that they accumulated that they can't take now because the department has been disbanded."
But Mayor Aldo DiCarlo says administration has been communicating with the officers.
"I can confirm that some officers are still not content with the town's position and I can confirm that some officers have responded to our response and they are content that the town is acting in good faith in trying to finalize this issue," says DiCarlo.
The Amherstburg Police Service disbanded on New Year's Day after Windsor police took over policing duties in Amherstburg.
Riddell says some have received legal assistance since the end of the association.
"All that stuff should have been paid the first week of January," he says. "There were conversations back and forth, emails they're trying to sort it out, they don't have the manpower to do it, they need more time, they're going to do an audit. All that stuff has been taken care of. The paper work is all in and now as far as the association, myself even requesting information for my financial or my legal, they just stopped answering emails."
Riddell says the town has also not paid the severance for the three (including himself) that decided against joining Windsor police.