Page 32 - FOP August 2021

Fair Play
Phase one contract packs significant benefits for members
n BY MITCHELL KRUGEL
Assessing and analyzing the virtues and caveats of the phase one contract agreement Lodge 7 has forged with the City stirs Paul Vallas to a fever pitch. Yoda when it comes to negotiating municipal collective bargaining agreements in Chicago, Vallas elicits a resonating refrain about this deal that echoes like the chorus in a hit song.
“I believe it is a fair contract,” Vallas declared. “And it was a financially responsible contract for the City.”
The man knows this stuff. As a former city budget manager who has been involved in more than 25 of these contract nego- tiations, he has looked at the agreements the city has reached with various unions from both sides now. From up and down. And there are no illusions about the benefits to Lodge 7 mem- bers and the work to get it done at the most opportune time.
“We didn’t want the financial side of this contract to be held hostage,” Vallas continued. “This is an affordable contract and it’s a responsible contract. And there was an urgency to get th“is done before the city council entered budget season.”
By 2025, you’re going to be making 22 percent more than before this agreement.
The agreement gives members retro pay back to July 1, 2017, which constitutes an immediate salary boost of 10.5 percent. With the four-year deal going forward, there is another 9.5 percent bump over the next 3 1/2 years. Vallas notes that when compounded, this 20 percent increase adds up to 22 percent. And the retro pay will put checks in members’ pockets ranging from $19,500 to $38,000 depending on years in service, class and grade.
Duty availability pay will be increased to $950 per quar- ter. And in a big win, duty availability will be given after 18 months, down from the 42 months that had been acquiesced to under an agreement negotiated years ago. This could pro- vide additional retro of as much as $7,600 depending on date of hire. And you probably heard about the increase in uniform allowance to $1,950 per year.
Digging deeper into the fine print, Lodge 7 members will only have to endure half the healthcare contribution that the CPD sergeants and firefighters had to swallow. Retiree health- care increases will be postponed until July 1, 2022, to allow members to retire under the current 2 percent contribution at 55 and zero percent at 60 and over.
“So by 2025, you’re going to be making 22 percent more than before this agreement,” Vallas emphasized. “And we es- sentially got the same accountability provisions that the City negotiated with the sergeants, with some clarifications. So it’s an eminently responsible agreement.”
Vallas sings the praise because of the foresight and pragma-
tism Lodge 7—and its negotiating team, which he consulted for—had in fighting for an agreement that will allow members peace of mind and to not have to worry about another con- tract until 2025. So it’s two contracts in one.
But wait, there’s more. The next phase of the contract in- cludes proposals that reward members with stipends for be- coming rifle-qualified, becoming CPR-certified and other achievements. There are also three or four additional training mandates that Chicago Police Officers have not been subject- ed to that, if they become certified, will award additional com- pensation. Lodge 7 expects many of these, if not all, to become a reality.
It wasn’t all about the Benjamins for phase one. And there will be more Benjamins out there in phase two. Vallas noted how Lodge 7 took the best path to creating these terms, and how that made all the difference.
“You know the old saying: ‘Don’t cut off your nose to spite your face,’” Vallas crooned. “The FOP did not do that. They see the big picture. It’s a fair agreement because the City and the FOP had extremely competent lawyers. And because [Lodge 7 President] John [Catanzara] is a pragmatist when it comes to these things. So his strategy was sound.”
How sound? Well, consider that at the end of the day, there were nothing but sounds of silence from the mayor as she signed off on this new, fair deal.
Also, compare the 22 percent increase to the 15 percent Chicago teachers procured in their most recent contract. Con- sider that Chicago public schools are independently funded through property taxes and state taxes. Plus, the schools re- ceived $2.8 billion in pandemic relief funds.
So the sounds coming from police critics claiming that CPD gets 40 percent of the city budget are nothing but noise. Ac- cording to Vallas, the Department consumes about 14 per- cent, so for the City to pony up this deal can be construed as, yes, a fair deal.
“Compared to other city unions, the FOP fared better by securing future pay increases and an
avenue for capping future healthcare costs
“From where Lodge 7 sits, the timing could not have been better to lock down
phase one of the contract.
32 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ AUGUST 2021
“The fact remains that, compared to other city unions, the
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