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Benld Council approves first union contract with city workers

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Benld City Hall

Benld City Hall

Benld City Council members voted Wednesday night to approve the city’s first union contract with city workers. The action followed more than two hours of discussion behind closed doors focusing on a tentative contract hammered out between the employees’ bargaining unit and a committee of council members, and presented to the full council last month.

In open session, the council approved a motion by Ald. Peyton Bernot to include the Chief of Police and City Comptroller in the bargaining unit. A follow-up motion, also by Bernot, to approve the contract with Laborers International Local 338 and to authorize Mayor Gloria Sidar to initial clarifications in the contract language regarding accumulated vacation time and wage rates also was approved with Ald. Brian Frensko abstaining from the vote. Frensko’s spouse currently is employed as the City Comptroller.

With the inclusion of the City Comptroller and Chief of Police, the contract covers seven employees––including the Chief of Police, three full-time police officers, two full-time maintenance workers and the City Comptroller.

Employees voted in October 2015 to be represented by the Laborers Union, and the Illinois Labor Relations Board notified the City Council on Nov. 17 of the need to negotiate a contract. Negotiations to finalize the contract reportedly took place over the last three months.

Two special meetings set prior to Wednesday night’s meeting reportedly were cancelled because of the lack of a quorum. All council members were in attendance Wednesday night, along with City Attorney Rick Verticchio.

Bernot told The BenGil Post that the contract is a “good contract” that gives employees “job security, which they deserve.”

After meeting for about 90 minutes in executive session, the council called two representatives of Laborers Local 338 into the council chambers for a brief discussion. They emerged 15 minutes later and conferred privately with four members of the bargaining unit who attended Wednesday night’s session, presumably discussing the addition of the Comptroller and Chief of Police to the bargaining unit and the language alterations the council wanted to make in the contract.

The union representatives re-entered the council chambers and came out five minutes later as the council continued discussion of the contract.

The council returned to open session after a total of about two hours and 20 minutes to take action on the contract.

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Bernot told The BenGil Post that the contract is a “good contract” that gives employees “job security, which they deserve.”

The three-year contract establishes base salaries for city employees and provides for annual wage increases of three percent, except for employees who experience a salary bump as a result of joining the bargaining unit, who will be exempt from the increase for the first year.  The two added positions reportedly are the only ones subject to a salary bump due to the new contract.

The contract also provides for paid time off in lieu of personal days and sick leave.

Mayor Sidar said she will sign the contract once of new document with the language revisions is prepared for her signature.

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Thunderstorms, winds, snow, freezing rain coming to BenGil area

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Another major winter storm is forecasted to blanket the BenGil area in heavy rains, flooding and snowfall starting Wednesday night through Thursday.

The mixture of precipitation and rapidly changing weather likely will produce the potential for sudden icing on roads, with high winds leading to blowing snow and reduced visibility.

“The Illinois Department of Transportation’s snow-and-ice teams will be prepared and out in force, but the public needs to be ready for conditions to change quickly and worsen if they are out on the roads,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. “As always during periods of extreme weather, the safest option is to postpone any unnecessary trips and stay home. If you must travel, prepare for very slow and potentially hazardous conditions. And please slow down around our plows and other emergency vehicles, giving them plenty of room to do their jobs.”

The National Weather Service is predicting a wintry mix of precipitation to start with thunderstorms and heavy rain in much of the state this evening, converting to freezing rain overnight before turning to snow Thursday morning. In addition to localized flooding, ice and sleet accumulations are likely, creating extremely slippery surfaces and slick conditions.

Due to the rainy conditions ahead of temperatures falling overnight, the effectiveness of pretreating and salting surfaces in advance of significant snowfall will be limited. The public should anticipate icy conditions even when roads appear clear and greatly reduce speeds. 

“As the Illinois State Police plans to take on the unpredictable Illinois weather, we would like to remind motorists to do their part in keeping the roads a safe place,” said Illinois State Police Director Brendan F. Kelly.  “ISP, alongside IDOT and other agencies, will be working in hazardous weather conditions. Please remember to slow down, stay vigilant and move over for ANY vehicle on the side of the road.”

Statewide, IDOT has available more than 1,800 trucks and equipment to plow, treat roads and respond to weather emergencies. If you encounter a plow or any maintenance vehicle during your travels, please slow down, increase your following distance and remain patient. Do not attempt to pass – conditions in front of the plow will be worse than behind it.

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Police investigating death of Bunker Hill woman

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Police are investigating the death of a Bunker Hill woman who was found dead at the end of her driveway near the roadway on Monday morning, January 31.

Nancy Blycker, 91, had multiple injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police. The Macoupin County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call to the 2900 block of Wood Hill Lane around 7:40 a.m. on Monday.

The initial suspicion was homicide, according to a release by the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis who said approximately 20 investigators were working the investigation, but the autopsy contradicted that suspicion.

The Major Case Squad said on Tuesday it is “highly unlikely” Blycker’s death was the “result of homicidal means.”

The Major Case Squad turned the case back over to the Macoupin County Sheriff’s Department. The official cause of death is pending further lab analysis.

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Winter storm warning issued for BenGil area

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The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for the BenGil area, southwestern Illinois, and the St. Louis area.

The warning was issued early Tuesday taking effect at midnight tonight until noon on Thursday, February 3 calling for a “wet, heavy” snow. The forecast also calls for ice prompting a warning about possible power outages.

“All indications continue to point to a disruptive, impactful, and dangerous winter storm impacting the region starting late tonight and lasting through Thursday night,” the National Weather Service said in its Area Forecast Discussion.

The BenGil area is expected to receive heavy mixed precipitation including snow accumulations between 6 and 10 inches, sleet accumulations around three-quarters of an inch, and ice accumulations around two-tenths of an inch. Wind gusts will be as high as 35 mph on Thursday.

The storm is expected to start with rain most of the day today before transitioning into a mixture of freezing rain and/or sleet Tuesday night, then all snow Wednesday morning or as late as Wednesday afternoon continuing until about noon on Thursday.

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