Page 22 - February 2018 FOP Newsletter

Addressing military leave of absence
n BY JERRY CRUZ
MILITARY COMMITTEE CHAIR
Greetings my fraternal sisters and brothers. On behalf of the Military Committee, we wish everyone a Happy New Year! We are looking forward to a productive year that benefits our fellow of- ficers.
There have been complaints and misunderstandings about military leaves of absences, so the members of the committee began to look at our contract and Illinois State Law. We analyzed Section 30.2 Military Leave of Absence in our current contract, particularly where it addresses military leaves for annual training, stating that employees:
“...shall be granted paid leave of absence during the peri- od of such activity and not to exceed fourteen (14) calendar days in any calendar year in case of a member of a reserve force, and not to exceed fifteen (15) calendar days in the case of National Guard. Employees hired after 1 January 1997 shall deposit their military pay with the City Comptroller for all days compensated by the City of Chicago.”
The bold type contradicts the Military Leave of Absence Act (5 ILCS 325) Section 1 (a) that states, “During leaves for annual training, the employee shall continue to receive his or her regular compensation as a public employee.” Nor does this act require a members of the Reserves or National Guard to deposit their base pay to any comptroller. Additionally, under federal law, U.S. Armed Forces Reserve and National Guard members may receive annual training orders for up to 29 days in a federal calendar year (Oct. 1 through Sept. 30).
The City of Chicago’s calendar year runs from July 1 thru June 30. I know that some of our members attended Annual Training in July and again in October of the same year. This has caused those officers issues and loss of the compensation due them. Unfortu- nately, the Employee Resource E01-14 Military Leave of Absence Act does not address the issue of calendar year. We will continue efforts to correct the problem and point to the Military Leave of Absence Act (5 ILCS 325) Section 1.1 that states; “A home rule unit may not regulate its employees in a manner that is inconsistent with this act.”
Veterans Identification Cards. For officers who have served and haven’t taken advantage of their service benefits, the Veter- ans Administration (VA) has introduced the National Veterans Identification Card (VIC). Only those veterans with honorable service will be able to apply for the ID card, which will provide proof of military service and may be accepted by retailers in lieu of the standard DD-214 form to obtain promotional discounts and other services where offered to veterans. To request a VIC, visit www.vets.gov, click on “Sign In” in the top right-hand corner and create an ID.me account. Once you verify your identity, you may request to apply for the Veteran ID Card. Veterans who apply for a card should receive it within 60 days and can check delivery status of their cards at vets.gov. A digital version of the VIC will be available online soon.
Every citizen owes a debt of gratitude to every veteran who served. To quote Winston Churchill, “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”
If you have a question or comment, please send me an email at ltc_cruz@wowway.com. d
22 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ FEBRUARY 2018