HOWELL – The members of Howell Policeman’s Benevolent Association Local 228 have issued a vote of no confidence in the ability of Police Chief Andrew Kudrick to lead, manage or administer the police department.
Local 228 is comprised of the Howell Police Department’s duly sworn law enforcement personnel. The police department’s superior officers have their own union and are not represented by Local 228.
Local 228 President James Alexander, Vice President Rich Robertiello and state delegate James Hurley attended the Dec. 14 meeting of the Township Council and said that on Dec. 6, the members of the union voted 69-2 in favor of a vote of no confidence in Kudrick’s leadership of the police department.
Kudrick did not respond to a request for comment regarding the union’s action or its assertions about his leadership.
Alexander addressed the governing body and said, “The decision to issue this declaration comes after much contemplation and discussion. We did not arrive flippantly at this conclusion, but carefully considered the implication such a decision could have on our membership, on the police department we so proudly serve and on Chief Kudrick himself.”
He said the union members believe they have the duty to protect their fellow officers and the police department.
“The only significant opposition to this declaration was the fear many of our members expressed regarding future acts of retaliation perpetrated by the chief because of this action. I believe that fact, in and of itself, speaks volumes regarding the current climate within our police department,” Alexander said.
He thanked the council members and the community for their continued support of the police department and said “we are not complaining about wages or equipment.”
Alexander said the union members wanted to formally advise the governing body there is a problem in the police department and to seek assistance in solving that problem.
“Over the course of the last two years, the morale within our police department has sunk to an all-time low. Over the course of the last 18 months, Chief Kudrick has waged a targeted campaign against our local in general and against our members specifically.
“The hostility of this campaign has steadily increased over time. Through this campaign, Chief Kudrick has shown little regard for the rights of our local members, the protections afforded to us through our collective bargaining agreement (CBA), and the for the laws of the state governing labor relations,” Alexander said.
He said the chief’s actions are “a concerted effort to interfere with the rights and privileges guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, namely our freedom of association, and the rights and privileges afforded to us by the state constitution and the laws protecting our labor interest.”
“The sole cause of this campaign of aggression was our decision to advocate on behalf of our members and to challenge the policy decisions implemented by Chief Kudrick in his efforts to interfere with the administration of our local (PBA).
“Chief Kudrick orchestrated our eviction from the PBA office within the police department; ordered us to remove PBA vending machines and an ATM machine from the criminal justice building; improperly deployed and assigned part-time non-union police officers in contravention to our CBA and state laws; interfered with and attempted to subvert and sabotage the collective bargaining process; and attempted to circumvent the protections afforded to our members by that collective bargaining process by unilaterally implementing scheduling limitations not permitted without negotiation,” Alexander said.
“Chief Kudrick has targeted union leadership by altering our work schedules, interfering with the advancement and direction of our careers, and issuing unwarranted and improper discipline.
” … There have even been circumstances where the township administration has ruled in favor of our local (PBA) and Chief Kudrick has failed to comply with the decision rendered through our grievance procedure,” Alexander said.
He said Kudrick has rebuffed the union’s efforts to discuss its concerns.
“It was not until Chief Kudrick became aware of the vote of no confidence, and then only after communication was facilitated by the president of the Superior Officer’s Association, that he agreed to meet with us,” Alexander said.
“We as a local have concluded Chief Kudrick largely fails to recognize any authority outside of himself. We have concluded Chief Kudrick does not recognize the PBA’s right to impact the policies and procedures governing the operations of the police department,” Alexander said. “We no longer feel Chief Kudrick is motivated by doing what is right for the department, but that he is instead motivated by simply trying to prove he is always right.”
He asked Mayor Theresa Berger and the other members of the Township Council for their assistance and direction.
Berger took issue with the stated time span regarding the issues raised by the union of 18 months to two years and said the members of the governing body must do their due diligence to investigate the situations the PBA leadership described.
Township Manager Brian Geoghegan said because this is a personnel matter, the issue is in his office and that is why Berger was not briefed on the situation until a Dec. 14 executive (closed) session was conducted.
“There are a lot of extenuating circumstances involved in this. The Township is tied for what we are able to investigate and we need to rely on certain outside organizations to complete their (investigations) as well,” Geoghegan said.
Berger said she finds the PBA’s claim the issues with Kudrick have been going on for two years to be disturbing.
Alexander said the PBA’s decision to take a vote of no confidence in Kudrick was not made easily. He said the union “has no issue with the way the township administration has handled the situation.”
