Page 21 - SEPTEMBE 2018 Newsletter

The contributions from unions and the labor movement are too numerous to include in this brief article. Suffice it to say, the labor movement has brought many needed protec- tions to modern-day American workers.
The Wagner Act of 1935 gave unions legal protections in the private sector and also greatly increased union membership. It allowed employees to organize without fear of being fired by their employers — but not public employees, who were specifically excluded. The Wagner Act ensured that union elections were conducted fairly and that meaningful collec- tive bargaining between a union and an employer occurred once a union won an election. As a result, millions of new members joined unions and, in doing so, gave unions more political power.
In 1962, almost 30 years later, President Kennedy passed a law allowing federal employees to organize, join unions and bargain collectively with the government. It ushered in a new era of public employee unionization. Many states, including Illinois, followed and passed similar labor laws to protect the interests of public employees.
In 1984, legislators here passed the Illinois Public Labor Re- lations Act granting public sector employees and employers the right to bargain collectively. In Chicago, Lodge 7 and the City of Chicago have negotiated numerous collective bargain- ing agreements. After nearly 40 years, Lodge 7’s contract con- tains not only a wage salary scale, the hours and overtime of work, disciplinary restriction/procedures and seniority provi- sions, but also various other vital assurances such as a griev- ance and arbitration procedure, due process protections, in-
demnification obligations and other safeguards designed to protect all Police Officers — which Lodge 7 has fought hard to include in the current contract (through the give-and-take process of negotiations).
In the next article, I will talk more about the status of the attorney general’s lawsuit and the consent decree, which the City and AG’s office are trying to use to chip away at some of those hard-won rights contained in the contract. A glimmer of hope did appear in the judge’s initial order temporarily de- nying Lodge 7’s request to intervene in the underlying law- suit. The court acknowledged that it is obligated to uphold the applicable law to resolve any conflicts between the consent decree and current or future contracts. As President Graham noted in his press release, the court commented: “A consent decree is not a method by which state agencies may liberate themselves from the statutes enacted by the legislature that created them.”
More than 100 years after the first Labor Day was celebrat- ed, it is clear that tremendous strides have been made in the quality of life for all Americans as a result of the labor move- ment. But the struggle continues, especially for members of Lodge 7. We reflect on our gratitude for living in a time when we have the right to bargain collectively and work with the dignity, rights and respect that all people deserve. Lodge 7 will fight to make sure the protections set forth in the current con- tract remain in place for future generations of Police Officers. Here is hoping that everyone had a safe and enjoyable Labor Day weekend. d
CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ SEPTEMBER 2018 21