Page 15 - June 2017 Newsletter

A Grievance Committee meeting was held on May 12, at which time the commit- tee made several determinations.
On 11 grievances, we decided to defer. To defer a grievance, we usually need addition- al information that was not submitted in the original file. These are the newer griev- ances. We decided to withdraw ten griev- ances, which usually means that the matter
has already been resolved; for example, an unopened bid in the unit or a grievance that was not filed timely (discussed in my last article).
Any denied grievance from the committee can be appealed and the Officer can appear before the com- mittee to present his or her case. If the committee still rejects the grievance, the Officer can appear before the Board of Directors and present the case. This procedure was put in place years ago and has remained the best way to resolve contractual disagreements between the Lodge and the City.
Unfortunately, some people misinterpret contractu- al agreements, and even when Management and Labor Affairs inform them, they want to do it their “own” way. That is why the Union succeeds at many of the submit- ted grievances. In my opinion, when left to his or her own devices, an overzealous person in charge will take advantage of a worker every chance he or she gets, but maybe I’m being too critical. This is the basis of unions — trying to make decent working conditions for the employees.
On to the Memorial Day weekend, which passed with minor results. Was crime reduced? Was putting Offi- cers’ lives in disarray worth it? As far as I’m concerned, absolutely not. You could have opened up voluntary positions citywide and they would have been filled.
And regarding whether the City has hired enough po- lice, after this little course of action, I would say they are acting like there is not enough. What a novel idea — flood the street with police Officers when you be- lieve there will be a problem. They did this same thing when they started the CAPS program; they took officers from less busy districts and put them in more active districts. They went from sector cars to rapid response cars; for instance, 926, 927, 928 went to 941, 942, 943, then 951, 952, 953 and so on. This added additional cars on the street. Then over the years, with fewer and
fewer officers, the cars were not being filled, leaving a gap in assistance and activity. The City’s answer was to get two officers to do the work of four. So the objec- tive was the same, but the presence of the officers were still lacking. Officers’ mere presence can help to deter crime; remember when you were young and saw that police car and just felt safe.
Well, the good people of Chicago like to feel that too. We hope the City will plan better for the rest of the sum- mer. Recently I had a call out to the scene where an Of- ficer discharged his weapon. Some of the officers were injured, but during the incident and after, despite be- ing shaken up, they maintained their composure and professionalism in a life-threatening situation. When the press is searching for bad news, they should stop and start looking at the heroes in their midst.
Quick clarification
I stated in my report in the May issue that after the unit rep elections, the unit reps will appoint their watch reps. In most districts, you are lucky to get a unit rep, let alone a watch rep. But in the rare instance that more than one person wants to be a watch rep, the unit rep will run a watch rep election — not just appoint some- one.
At this time, openings for the airports were posted, people were bidding and the Lodge is receiving copies of the bids. I asked our receptionist Marikay what the cut-off year was at this time, and it was 1990. Wow, how long were officers waiting for this to open?
On a side note: I answer calls every day here at the Lodge that range from simple info to the first steps of a serious grievance. At the day’s end, I hope I have helped Officers enough, settled their minds and let them do the job they have chosen.
Of course, always in my thoughts is my old partner Cornelius Knox. He told me that if I ever start messing up, he’ll pay me a visit. He was always the first person I called when I needed help, and he would say, “You know there are other officers around, Mike. Younger, too.” But I knew the problem would be taken care of with Corn. I hope any Officer asking for my help can feel the same way. d
Financial Secretary’s Report
Grievance committee update
MICHAEL GARZA
CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ JUNE 2017 15