Western Springs Negotiating With Cop Unions

WESTERN SPRINGS, IL – The village of Western Springs is negotiating new contracts with its unions for police officers and sergeants, a village spokeswoman said.

The patrol officers union's contract expired in March 2020, but the Village Board has approved two extensions with pay raises since then.

But the last extension expired in March, according to the village's website. Since then, inflation has surged.

The village's contract with the sergeants union expired in March 2021. It has not been extended, according to the website.

Often, public employees get retroactive pay raises when new contracts are approved late.

This week, the Village Board increased Village Manager Ellen Baer's salary by nearly $5,000, to $169,950.

Baer was promoted to manager in September 2021. Her pay hike was retroactive to her anniversary.

The police department's leadership has seen big changes in the last year.

In the spring, Deputy Chief Daniel Albrecht resigned days after being suspended. Public records indicated he was under some type of investigation, but the village never released details.

A couple of weeks later, the police pension board approved Albrecht's pension. He was with the department for 22 years.

Earlier this month, Chief Brian Budds left the village to take the same role in Buffalo Grove. He had been with the local department for 26 years.

The department is now being run by interim Chief Terry Mee.