The City of Ypsilanti and former City Clerk Cherry Lawson have settled their differences. The Ypsilanti City Council approved a settlement agreement Tuesday night. The settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing of any kind, and any such wrongdoing is expressly denied. The agreement includes $6,213 in back salary and $720 in mobile phone reimbursements. The back salary will compensate Lawson for the difference between what she was paid during her tenure as City Clerk and what she would have been paid at Grade 11 Step 3 of the City’s non-union pay scale. Grade 11 Step 3 is the Grade & Step nearest the average salary for City Clerks in similarly sized communities. The reimbursement is $30 per month for the 24 months she was City Clerk.
Lawson filed a complaint with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights in August alleging she was not paid as much as other City employees who received temporary upgrades. Lawson was paid $54,481 annually (Grade 11 Step 1) during her tenure as Interim City Clerk from March 2004 until she was appointed City Clerk in September 2004. Lawson learned other City employees who had subsequently received temporary upgrades to fill department director vacancies had been paid the same rate as the director they had replaced. Lawson was not compensated at former City Clerk Bob Slone’s final salary of $68,783 (Grade 11 Step 8) during her tenure as Interim Clerk.
The City investigated and found Lawson’s pay was consistent with City policy but the policy was unfortunately not followed with subsequent temporary upgrades. The City corrected the problem and took steps to ensure the policy is followed in the future. Assistant City Manager Robert Bruner and the City’s labor attorney Dave Kempner presented their findings and discussed options with City Council in a closed session on October 3. Following the discussion, City Manager Ed Koryzno directed Kempner to request facilitative mediation through the Department of Civil Rights in an attempt to amicably resolve the matter and avoid further legal costs.
Bruner and Kempner met with Michigan Department of Civil Rights mediators on November 27 and Lawson participated via telephone. She reiterated her concerns regarding her temporary upgrade and stated she was not given an opportunity to negotiate her salary when she was appointed City Clerk. She described the offer as a take it or leave it proposition. With the help of the mediators, the parties outlined the terms of the agreement. Lawson stated, “I hated to file the claim, but I knew the City would make it right.” City Manager Ed Koryzno stated, “Cherry was a valued employee and I am glad we could settle the matter amicably and avoid further legal costs.”
