Page 6 - FOP August 2021

A real victory in the contract adven- ture will be getting the City to agree to make Lodge 7 more of a partner in the EAP program. This would further our initiative to set up counseling offices and other needed resources on the second floor of the FOP building so our members can have access to help without hesitation or worry.
The image on the cover of this issue captures how many of us feel, espe- cially in light of what happened on July 14. Yet another officer has tragi- cally taken his own life. We all feel the grief and sadness, and that prompted the thought to present that portrait that hangs in the lobby of our offices on the third floor at the FOP as em- blematic that something has to be done. Something different.
Getting the city to agree to make that happen and figuring out what our program will include is what needs to be done, and what we are doing. We
are making it a reality to give members the mental health support they need more than ever, and that’s s a victory to us.
The paper has been signed to fund an extra field rep for Lodge 7. Monica Ortiz is taking on that role, our first Hispanic female field rep. That will be historic in itself, and then Field Rep Mike Mette, our first vice presi- dent, will be taking over full time as the leader of our employee assistance efforts. He is dedicated to figuring out better ways to serve our members with more mental health capacity that can be added to the Department EAP.
Beginning on page 31 of this issue, Mike explains how we are moving forward with these plans, including bringing in some of the resources we hope to make available to you in an environment that will make all mem- bers feel comfortable and motivated to get the support and help they want.
As our contingent of members prepares to represent Lodge 7 at the National FOP Biennial Conference in Indianapolis beginning Aug. 15, we are asking the question on everybody’s mind: Where’s the leadership in this organization?
It seems that nobody wants to put themselves out there. It’s just more of the get-along, go-along-to-get-along bullshit.
As the Lodge with the biggest membership in the entire FOP, it’s our duty and opportunity to provide some leadership. So I am taking the lead and there will likely be a floor nomination to my candidacy for National FOP President.
I know my pitch is 180 degrees from either one of their pitch- es. They can never, ever combine to hold a candle to the fight that we have shown we can provide. Period. And they have no labor experience whatsoever. I think we need somebody who
we can put in front of a legislative caucus and make them lis- ten to what we have to say.
In addition to our members attending for the week, we have more than 200 others coming down on a bus on Aug. 19 to vote in the national election. I know many of you probably don’t realize all of this because the National Lodge really doesn’t have anything to do with Lodge 7. Hopefully that changes in the future.
My feeling is that the National FOP, as the biggest law en- forcement labor organization in the country, needs a lightning rod. The current leadership doesn’t want that. They want ev- erything as smooth as can be. And where has that gotten us? That is my point. Where has it gotten us?
President’s Report: Report Shorts The best of mental healthcare
Fraternal Order of Police
CHICAGO LODGE 7 Official Magazine • August 2021
Answer Our Prayers
Lodge 7 working to give members mental health support Department has not been able to provide
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Last Words
About the Teachers’ contract vs. our contract
You can’t use the teachers as the litmus test. We do not have the ability to strike. I mean, if we did, there’s not a doubt in my mind that our members would be willing to go on strike for at least 30 days. Just to send a message. But that’s not the real world. So when our members continually refer to what the teachers got, I get it. I get your frustration. That’s the importance of being in- volved in politics to make sure that those disparities do not con- tinue. We can’t change them from this desk or this building. We can change them in Springfield over time, but that requires dedi- cation, manpower and money.
About how the contract can affect officer retention
The City knows we are leaving in droves to go to other depart- ments and just saying, “Screw this. This city sucks.” So I think they realized they had to do something to keep those younger officers a little happier. If they’re going to keep you, at least incentivize the ones that want to stay. To some degree, that’s a little out of our control, but we’re certainly not letting that part of the compo- nent fall by the wayside. With the agreement, if it gets ratified, it absolutely has something that has really never been done before, like getting duty availability that was given away.
6 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ AUGUST 2021