Originally Posted on September 11, 2020

Message from the President,

WORK SCHEDULE

There has been a lot of talk and rumors about the work schedules. The re-occurring days off cancelled and 12 hour days are not sustainable. We all know this and feel the effects. The Lodge went to court on June 17th in front of Judge Dow. We filed a motion at that time, in reference to the work hours and cancelled days off, stating it was an officer wellness concern and violation of the consent decree guidelines. The city filed a response and unfortunately the Judge has yet to issue a ruling.

Superintendent Brown has assured me that there are no plans to cancel days off or work 12 hrs. Obviously, that could change in a heartbeat in today’s climate if there is a “trigger”. Hopefully we can resume our normal lives for a while.

CONTRACT

We have a meeting scheduled for Tuesday ( September 15th) with the lead attorneys and representatives for the city. I expect to receive a financial package offer that will cover the same time frame as the Firefighters. Hopefully the Mayor will stick to her word and keep it a financial package ONLY like we originally discussed. The men and women of the Chicago Police Department have been treated like rented mules with little consideration for personal or family time. The right thing to do is honor her word and get the financial part off the table for now and work on the longer and broader agreement going forward.

Have a safe weekend and try and get away from this job and city for as much time as possible. Officer wellness is and always will be our top priority.

John J. Catanzara Jr.
President
FOP Lodge 7 Chicago