Director
A POLC/GELC Labor Representative for five years, Jim Stachowski served in two Union leadership roles prior to being appointed Director in July 2023. He was the first to serve in the newly-appointed role of Deputy Director, from the fall of 2021 until June 2023.
Executive Committee
The Police Officers Labor Council’s Executive Committee is the governing body of the organization. Members of the executive committee are elected by the delegate body at the annual meeting and conference held every August-September. There are nine (9) Executive Committee members.
Brian McNair has been with the POLC since 1999, serving as Hazel Park Police Officers Association Secretary; Chesterfield Police Command Officers Association Union Steward; and Chesterfield Police Officers Association President, Secretary and Vice President.
Greg Alexander helped formalize a Local Union Board for Oscoda Township Police after joining their department in 2013. The Oscoda Township Officer helped his unit, which was previously represented by a single Steward, become POLC members in 2018. Greg has served as Oscoda Township Police Local Union President for the past five years. Prior to that, he was Local Union Vice President.
Flat Rock Police Corporal Scott Beggs was only with his department a year and a half when he became the Local Patrol Officers Union Treasurer. He has continuously served on the board since late 2018, moving up to Vice President in 2020, and has been President of the Local Union Board since October 2021.
Adam Byrd is a dedicated law enforcement professional who has been serving with the Van Buren Township Police Department since April of 2006. He is currently the Van Buren Township Patrol and Dispatchers Union President, a role he has held since 2009.
Adam began his law enforcement career as a Detroit Police Officer in 1999 and served in that capacity until 2006.
Caro City Police Officer Robert Gaiser helped fill department vacancies quicker by negotiating significant improvements in their contract through the POLC. The Local Union Board President for the past four years, Robert joined the department and union in 2016. He completed Delta College Police Academy in 2016 at the age of 42, receiving an Academic Award for graduating second in his class.
Captain Leigh Golden has been a Flint Captains and Lieutenants Association Board member since 2010, having served as Vice President and Secretary/Treasurer of the Local Union. She’s been involved in unions since joining the department in 1996, serving as 3rd Shift Local Officers Union Steward. She became a POLC member when she was promoted to Sergeant in 2002.
Ryan Strunk, a Sergeant with the Battle Creek Police Department Special Investigations Unit, has been with his department 16 years. Ryan served as Chief Steward of the POLC Non-Supervisory Unit for five years prior to his promotion to Sergeant in December 2020. He served as a detective for eight years and spent over six years in Special Investigations.
Troy Taylor has been a member of the POLC since 2002 and is the current President of the Oak Park Public Safety Command Association. He has been employed by the Oak Park Department of Public Safety since 1999 and is currently a Lieutenant in command of the Investigations Bureau.
Royal Oak Police Lt. Jacob Theisen is an 18-year law enforcement veteran. He began his career as a Road Patrol Deputy with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office in January 2005. He accepted a Police Officer position with the City of Royal Oak in April 2007.
As a Patrolman, he became an Evidence Technician and a Field Training Officer.
Field Representatives
A retired Chesterfield Township Police Detective, Scott has been a POLC member since 1989. He served on the Chesterfield Police Officers Association (CPOA) Board for 22 years, representing Detectives, Patrol Officers and Dispatchers as a Union Steward for 12 years, and President for 10 years.
Former POLC/GELC Director Robert Figurski served in the Unions’ top role from May 2016 to June 2023, helping the Unions successfully navigate uncertain times during the COVID-19 pandemic. In July 2023, he decided to return to serving the POLC and GELC as a Labor Representative, a position he held for over six years before being appointed Director.
Chris served 26 years with the White Lake Police Department before retiring in August 2021 as a Lieutenant. He spent the last 15 years of his law enforcement career serving as Local Union Vice President or President of both Patrol and Command Officers associations. He also served on the Patrol Association’s Grievance Committee for two years.
Chester has been a Labor Council Representative since 2004. He was a member of the Warren Police Department for 32 years and retired as a Detective. While in the Police Department, Chet was assigned to Radar and Motor Carrier Duties, Uniform Patrol and attended Michigan State Community Policing Concepts School.
A POLC member since 1993, Jim retired from the Chesterfield Township Police Department after 23 years of service. He was a local POLC steward with Chesterfield Police Officers Association for four years and Command Officers Association for nine years.
Retired Allegan County Sheriffs’ Office Corrections Deputy, Jason was with the department for over 10 years, serving as a POLC local Chief Steward for eight years and an Alternate Steward for one year. He also worked as a State of Michigan Department of Corrections Officer for seven years and was active in Michigan Corrections Organization, (a member of MAPO).
Duane is a long-term veteran and served the Romulus Police Department until his retirement in December 2004. Throughout his career, Duane served as President of the Patrol Officers Association as well as spent his last six years as President of the Command Officers Association.
Marc retired as a City of Jackson Police Officer in Dec. 2021 after more than 26 years of service and joined the Labor Council staff in April 2022. Serving as the Jackson Police Officers Local Union President for his last four years in the department and, the prior eight years he was the Local Union Steward, he has participated in contract negotiations, grievances, and arbitration.
A veteran of Allegan County Sheriffs since 1987, John joined the Labor Council staff in 2010. Prior to the sheriff’s department, John attended Kalamazoo Valley Community College and has 31 years’ experience with law enforcement agencies.
Joe retired from the City of Warren as Foreman of Sanitation in March 2023 and brought his decades of labor experience to the GELC in April as a Labor Council Representative. He served the City of Warren for 28 years in a variety of positions including: Parks and Recreation Employee, DPW Maintenance Specialist, Water Utility Operator and Sanitation Operator.
David is a 35-year veteran police officer, who retired as a Detective Sergeant after serving 30 years with the Belding Police Department. He was a local POLC Union Steward for 28 years with Belding, where he also worked as a Property Room Operator and Evidence Technician.
A career-long member of the POLC, Christopher retired from Mt. Morris Township after serving 20 years, the last six as Union Steward and President. He was a Flushing Township Patrol Officer and served as a part-time New Lothrop Village Patrol Officer for 11 years while working for Mt. Morris PD. He served in the U.S. Air Force, honorably discharged as a Staff Sergeant.
Nancy has been with the Police Officers Labor Council for numerous years. Her primary responsibilities include the research and preparation of comparable data for contract negotiations and Act 312 arbitrations. She also served as an expert witness in all of the Compulsory Binding Arbitration (Act 312) hearings.
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Membership Services
A POLC/GELC Labor Representative since 2016, Chris has successfully negotiated contracts for decades throughout his public safety career.
Staff Lawyers
Michael Akins joined the POLC staff in 2017. As a partner at Gregory, Moore, Jeakle, and Brooks, P.C., he served as a union-side labor and employment attorney for police unions and private security guards.
Brendan Canfield has served the Labor Council as an in-house attorney since 2008. He handles a variety of legal matters for the POLC and GELC, including labor arbitrations, Act 312 hearings, fact findings, unfair labor practice charges, election and unit placement issues, court proceedings, and Garrity interviews, among others.
Support Legal Staff
Peter Sudnick is retained counsel for the Police Officers Labor Council. He established his own firm, Sudnick Law, in 2008 after working as a partner at Dean & Fulkerson, a full-service law firm in Troy. He graduated cum laude from Detroit College of Law, now Michigan State University College of Law.
John Goldpaugh is retained counsel for the Police Officers Labor Council (POLC). John has been representing the POLC, the Detroit Police Officers Association, and other police unions the entire length of his career, which began in 1978.
