Page 6 - FOP March 2017 Newsletter

ANGELO CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5
needed to get caught up on, and close out, the contract negotiations. Our labor and legal areas were struggling, and needed to be addressed as quickly as possible to better serve members’ continuous needs. We needed to refocus on how to improve upon our legislative capabilities in Springfield, as well as here in Chicago. The Lodge was also in dire need of adding to, and building on, the strengths of the office personnel, who have historically been the unrecognized stalwarts of the Lodge. Each task called for a level of commitment and promise the likes of which would mandate a com- plex undertaking and long hours if we were to be suc- cessful. Success was what we strived for, and success was realized.
...Another Three-Year Term Begins
calls. So, to address all of those “inquiring minds,” and the multiple inaccuracies that have been surfacing as of late, the Chicago Casino Bill (SB 0007) is not only very real, it actually passed out of the Illinois Senate.
So, what is next for the Lodge? That, my friends, is the million-dollar question. Who will be leading Chicago Lodge 7 for the next three years? Soon, the members will decide that for us all. So, what lies ahead for the women and men of the Lodge – only time will tell, but we all know that it will continue to be a tough grind and one that will continue to be lacking local political support. Where will our next major incident come from? The next incident is just a body camera or cell phone video away, and, once again, only time will tell what that incident will look like. We could go on and on asking what-if questions about the future of the Lodge, but our space here is limited. There is only one critically important component that will be facing the membership beyond just the next three years, and one that everyone must consider as a major issue facing our Lodge: Who will be the face and voice of the Frater- nal Order of Police, Chicago Lodge 7? Who will be able to address the issues of tomorrow? What skill sets do the next elected representatives bring to the table? How do we ensure that our Lodge continues to travel down the path of professionalism? What guarantees do we have that we will continue to be successful in our future endeavors? As in life, there are no guarantees. Only time will tell, and that time is upon us.
Another large shout out and thank you must also go to Chicago Lodge 7’s lobbyists, Andy Raucci and Dave Sullivan, for their continued professionalism and expertise on behalf of our members. The next step is to get this bill to the Illinois House of Representatives. In our typical fashion, as things progress, we will keep you posted.
Chicago Casino Bill Passes Illinois Senate
Needless to say, after the promotions are made, the Lodge winds up speaking with the members concern- ing complaints about who received a merit position and who didn’t receive a merit position. Needless to say, when Lodge 7 members receive a promotion via the merit process, those officers are pleased, and we never hear back from them. On the other hand, when a Lodge 7 member fails in their bid to receive a merit promotion, we hear from member after member after member. The calls range from, “How could I possibly
For all of those questioning the status of the Chicago Casino legislation, the language of our casino bill (SB 0007) was in fact put to a vote in the Illinois Senate on Feb. 28. The timing could not have been more perfect since the Lodge was recently experiencing an influx of phone calls questioning the likelihood or even the existence of a Chicago Casino Bill. As we were in the process of responding to our members, somebody in Springfield must have been listening to our phone
6 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ MARCH 2017
Shortly before the Bill was called for a vote, chief sponsor Senator Terry Link stated: “(Some ask) why we give general revenue funds to the city of Chicago to pay for their police and fire pensions? Well, guess what? Pass this bill (and you) won’t have to worry about that in the future. For all who continue to ask how will we pay Chicago Police and Fire pension benefits, vote for SB 0007, for that is exactly what it does.” Mr. Senator, we could not have put it any better. We thank you.
Merit or No Merit...It Remains the Question
During the latest round of promotions, several of our members inquired about the Department’s merit selection process. It should come as no surprise to anyone who has been around this job for more than a single cup of coffee that members have always had serious issues about the fairness and openness of the merit process. Merit selections have always had a stig- ma associated with them. Ever since the merit process began, the Lodge has fought for transparency and input. During the course of these fights, certain issues have been hammered out, other issues remain in play.
Historically, though, it has been the Lodge’s position that the rank-order list that comes out after the testing processes is complete should become the list that the Department promotes from. Rank order means rank order; no ifs, ands or buts. However, with every test that comes about, we have several members who are offered the opportunity to put their names into con- sideration for a merit promotion. The 20-percent merit for Detective and 30-percent merit for Sergeant is what everyone clamors for.