Page 32 - SEPTEMBE 2018 Newsletter

LABOR CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31
Labor Ray
Prior to the secretary’s address, members stood in small groups snacking on Italian sausages grilled on the Lodge patio. The anticipation of Acosta’s appearance had them chewing the fat about whether his message would go beyond noting how the men and women of the Department are needed and beyond the issue of communities in the City continuing to alienate the po- lice.
As a last request, Markovich considered what he would ask the secretary if he were selected to present members’ perspec- tive about what officers wanted from the federal government. There was no sense of what the heck he is doing here, but what the heck he could do for them and hope that he came to Lodge 7 and Chicago as more than just an emissary of President Trump.
“Well, I think both on national and other levels, it’s important for the secretary to relate to the president,” Markovich suggest- ed. “But they have to go a little bit deeper. Maybe everybody gets together and not just talks at each other but talks with each oth- er to try to resolve the issues.”
Perhaps nobody was a better fit for that job, nobody has bet- ter credentials to empathize with how Chicago Police Officers view their job as a labor of love. Acosta is the son of Cuban refu- gees whose parents escaped the Castro regime. He was the first member of his family to go to college, and that college was Har- vard. He also went to Harvard Law School.
President George W. Bush appointed Acosta to the National Labor Relations Board, and he later served as assistant attorney general for civil rights and federal prosecutor for the Southern District of Florida. He generated significant affection and credi- bility with members by recounting how as a federal prosecutor, he convened task forces that took down one of Miami’s most notorious gang leaders and broke up the Cali drug cartel.
Having sensed Acosta’s commitment to protecting law en- forcement officers’ salaries and benefits during several of the
From left, National FOP President Chuck Canterbury, Illinois State FOP Na- tional Trustee Rocky Nowaczyk, Past Lodge 7 and National FOP President John Dineen, U.S. Secretary of Labor Alex Acosta, Lodge 7 President Kev- in Graham, Illinois State FOP President Chris Southwood and National FOP Sergeant-at-Arms Keith Turney gathered for a pre-rally photo.
FOP’s quarterly meetings with the secretary, Canterbury knew how his presence would make a splash in Chicago on Labor Day. “I know this is a city with a mayor that does not support the officers the way it should,” Canterbury explained. “I think it’s a morale booster to see somebody like the secretary of labor in President Trump’s administration come here and tell them per- sonally that he thanks them. And we want the citizens of Chica-
go to hear the same thing.”
President Graham stressed the significance of Acosta’s ap-
pearance by telling members, “He could have been anywhere in the country discussing labor issues, and he chose to come to Chicago to show his support.” Beyond the support, Graham also knew that the secretary of labor headlining a Labor Day ral- ly would raise awareness and generate encouragement.
“We set this up knowing there is a lot going on in Chicago, not just with our contract but with other things that are in the news, like the consent decree and being blamed for things that are not our fault,” Graham stated. “The federal government is standing behind us. And that is an important message that the men and women of the Chicago Police Department need to hear.”
The reason for Secretary Acosta’s venture to Chicago clearly had nothing to do with politics. This was intended to be a cele- bration of labor, and that was not lost on members even before he made a single remark.
“Seeing everyone who has shown up to take their time on Labor Day to make that statement and show support, it says a lot about people,” observed Matt Martinsen, an officer in 007. “They could have been spending time with their families.”
Understandably, and perhaps appropriately, there was some hesitancy about how much the rally would accomplish. But there was also optimism.
“I hope he says something positive, something we haven’t al- ready heard. And it’s not just empty promises, that he’s working with our representation to do something positive for Chicago,” acknowledged Tim Fitzpatrick, a unit rep in 019. “Something like this can spark interest. Just this event being here is moving in the right direction.”
Labor Say
Talk about a spark: Secretary Acosta hit members with a blaze of inspiration, an ovation-filled speech that fired up the hall. Dinner with Graham and Canterbury the night before enabled Acosta to hear story after story about the pride that Chicago Po- lice Officers have in their city and the challenges that are partic- ularly acute in this city at this time. So he targeted his remarks at what can be done to overcome the strife, division and mistrust between citizens and government and between agencies within government.
Acosta’s speech inspired members to several rousing ovations.
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