Page 17 - April 2017 Newsletter

the City can do is make proposals. And the Lodge is obli- gated to listen and respond, also in good faith. Many of the provisions found in the current contract are the result of compromise and the blood, sweat and tears of the women and men who came before this generation of police offi- cers, who had to work hard to obtain those guarantees. Al- though the City most certainly will ask the Lodge to make changes, the Lodge is not obligated to agree to anything.
Each side gets to select its own bargaining representa- tives to be at the bargaining table. The Lodge typically es- tablishes bargaining teams or committees and, based (in part) on membership feedback, will work with its attor- neys to create its proposals. The Lodge president leads the process, with the assistance of his bargaining team and in consultation with the Lodge’s attorneys.
Individual bargaining sessions last several hours. Tra- ditionally, the parties alternate meeting locations. Bar- gaining sessions are closed to the public. Proposals are exchanged and discussed in great depth. Each side will offer an explanation as to why a proposal is being made. Oftentimes, proposals are revised, time and time again, and resubmitted for further consideration. If the parties ultimately cannot agree on an item, then that proposal is formally rejected. If the parties do reach a consensus on a particular item, then that proposal is “tentatively agreed to,” subject to reaching an agreement on all the terms of a successor agreement. Overall, this is a long and arduous process.
At the end of the negotiations phase, if the parties at the
bargaining table have a tentative agreement, the package will be brought to the membership for ratification. If a majority of the voting members accept the proposal, then it goes to the City Council for ratification and approval. As a reminder, the aldermen unanimously voted for all the terms of the current agreement, which contains protec- tions that have appeared in the contract for decades. If the final proposal does not get ratified by both sides, then the parties are legally required to take the matter to interest arbitration, where a mutually selected arbitrator will ulti- mately determine what the successor agreement will look like.
Rest assured that insistence on the removal of any or all of the items being discussed by some aldermen and so- called “community leaders” before negotiations even start not only will impede the parties’ ability to arrive on any mutually acceptable contract but also will lead to litiga- tion. As the Lodge has stated since the political attacks began to make the current agreement the scapegoat, the Lodge expects the City to comply with its legal obliga- tions. This means not drawing a line in the sand before formal negotiations. The Lodge is prepared to bargain in good faith, not capitulate to the demands of those making the most noise, and will fight to achieve greater benefits for the women and men who serve and protect the com- munities in which they live.d
CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ APRIL 2017 17