Page 12 - FOP_Magazine_ February2019

Financial Secretary’s Report
Resolving grievances and reducing suspension days
Hello and greetings in this second month of 2019. Every day I count my blessings that I am still here on Earth to help my fellow officers during these troubled times.
A Grievance Committee meeting was held Jan. 17, with the following results: the committee went for- ward with nine grievances, including three class ac- tions that cover all officers affected by a contract vi- olation. These are usually initiated by the Lodge but can be done by a unit rep if it concerns just his or her unit or district.
The committee deferred one grievance because, due to illness, an officer did not appear to speak. Finally, we withdrew 21 grievances; eight of them were about the same occurrence, and we need more information. Also, within these grievances were some that were re- solved shortly after the grievance was filed. For instance, there was a unit that improperly submitted furloughs; when it was looked at logically by the powers that be, the furloughs were repicked.
Sometimes, problems must be approached from multiple di- rections for proper resolution. There was an officer who was im- properly removed from a test list; the initial response from human resources was confusing to the officer. I called Management and Labor Affairs, and the sergeant was able to look into the situation. To be completely thorough, the officer also contacted human re- sources. After a few days, everything worked out and the officer was able to take the test. I believe in taking all avenues to correct a situ- ation as efficiently as possible.
Rich Aguilar, who works on binding summary opinions, was happy to report that of the 122 suspension days the City was trying to take from officers, 97 days were recovered. This is approximately $33,000 in savings. It’s a very important outcome at a time when the City is trying to hand out suspension days like candy.
On to the picnic: We have sent Gaelic Park our confirmation that we are having the FOP picnic on Wednesday, July 10. Cricket, our FOP secretary, is already gathering items for our raffle baskets. We are keeping the same DJ we had last year, and we are always looking for ways to improve the event.
Finally, a quick reminder about applying toVRI: If you apply for VRI and are told that there is not enough activity to get VRI dates, make sure that for the next month, you send a copy of your activity to Special Events. When officers have sent their activity over to Spe- cial Events, there has not been a problem concerning their activity again.
Side note: Harold Hanley (the first officer I ever worked with on the street) stopped by the office to mention that his stepdaughter Gina is working on the job and had a soul-touching encounter with a slain officer’s spouse while sitting at their house. The officer’s spouse brought out a plate of food and some drinks for Gina; de- spite everything she was going through, she was concerned about the officer’s well-being after sitting in the squad car for hours. This brought Gina to tears and, after she went home, she hugged her children tight.
Stay safe.
MICHAEL GARZA
12 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ FEBRUARY 2019