Page 39 - July 2017 Newsletter

wage and benefit information; holiday and vacation com- parisons; contract provision comparisons to those cities; HMO co-pay and out-of-pocket healthcare expense com- parisons; data collected from FOIA requests sent to lawyers and law clerks across the country.
No wonder the binders are hundreds of pages thick. And Moon relates how amazing it is to watch D’Alba and the team cite from those pages during negotiations often without even having to look at them. “Joel leaves no stone unturned when preparing for a negotiation,” Moon contin- ues.
It’s not enough to simply look at traditional salary com- parisons. The breakdowns also evaluate specialty pay, duty availability and uniform allowance. This is the thorough- ness and attentiveness this firm brings to every negotiation that might never be more valuable than in the upcoming round for Lodge 7.
“We haven’t been involved with dealing with Mayor Emanuel,” D’Alba remarks. “But all negotiations are hard. They have to be well-prepared for.”
So preparation fills the conference table, the conference room and beyond. It’s all part of the process that begins with presenting information to the Lodge 7 contract com- mittee.
“This information is important in forming the demands we make to see how the Lodge fits into relationships to oth- er cities,” D’Alba details. “There’s always a give-and-take to find out what their interests are, what their objectives are, what problems they’re trying to solve and which ones weren’t solved in the last negotiation.”
D’Alba confides that one objective will be creating a more equitable discipline system. Another will be trying to remove politics from police board decisions. Of course, there is also protecting the important provisions in the Bill of Rights section in the contract. And that’s after securing fair wages and benefits.
How will Asher, Gittler & D’Alba achieve all of the above? “I’m not going to tell you my secrets,” D’Alba muses.
No doubt, it begins with thinking outside the boxes.d
A display case in the reception area at Asher, Gittler and D’Alba, Ltd., shows the plaque the Chicago FOP had made up commemorating the rst con- tract the Lodge negotiated with the City in 1980 and one from the 1989 election that maintained the Lodge as the collective bargaining unit for pa- trol o cers and detectives.
CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ JULY 2017 39
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