Page 6 - March 2022

President’s Report: Second Stories
I’m grateful that it seems the majority of our members have under- stood the purpose behind the dues increase and the need for it. It was probably long overdue. I’ve had more members tell me, “It should have been double the $240 increase.” They said we should be paying way more than the firefighters. But this puts us right at about $950. The firefighters are paying more than $1,000.
Like I said, there were people who said it should have been twice as much. Maybe down the road, but let’s see what kind of results we get from this.
I’m not saying we’re going to have another dues increase, but any- body can donate to the PAC fund. And if we start showing that we’re going to be movers and shakers in this City and in this state, hopefully that encourages citizens to start donating to what we’re trying to do
to change the dynamic of this City. If we can change the dynamic of this City, we can change the direction of this state and bring a civilized, law-abiding society back.
That would present opportunities to everybody. Because right now, you cannot open businesses. I don’t care how much money in tax dol- lars the mayor thinks she’s going to throw in to some of these depleted neighborhoods, it’s not going to make a difference if you can’t provide security and safety for the businesses in those communities.
It all starts with law and order. I’m not talking about the craziness that people are going to make it out to be. That’s just stupid, gaslight- ing, which is just ridiculous, dog-whistle nonsense. There are just sim- ple, basic steps that need to be taken that these politicians just don’t have the guts to do.
We have too many elected officials in this City and state who real- ly think that demographic of the squeaky wheel is more important to them getting reelected. We need to show them that public safety is more important. And once they realize it, they can have the biggest come-to-Jesus moments of their lives.
There are so many aldermen who are dead to us. Don’t even try and tell me now, all of a sudden, you see the light. You see the light because you may get voted out of office. It’s too late. We’re going to find people to come for your chairs who care about the City, not their reelection.
We already have candidates for the General Assembly, and we are
going to have a huge recruitment drive this summer for aldermanic seats. The goal is anywhere from 10 to 12, as well as the mayor’s of- fice. We will be looking for members, firefighters, city workers, anybody who is a union worker. And we’re going to bring back what this City was supposed to be founded on: union rights.
These politicians apparently don’t believe in police unions as much as they do other unions, but we’re going to lead the charge. We also need to have the top person. And I don’t see anybody stepping up that I would trust to lead the ship in the direction we feel it needs to be led. So it’s going to be an interesting summer.
Giving them their dues
Political gaining
PRESIDENT’S REPORT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5
My concern for members now goes beyond the Lodge. The reali- ty is that the City is on the cusp of a fricking disaster.
If we have a mass exodus as expected, and mass to me number- swise to me, is 300 or more, you know what will hit the fan. Now, in a giant department that might not seem like much, but we’re already understaffed as it is. It’s only getting worse. And we had a large number of retirements in January, a large number in February, and we’re going to have a large number of supervisors and sergeants in May. It is not only an issue for the manpower left on this job, doing the job, but the citizens on the street are going to be less safe. And communities that are typically bloody are going to be ridiculous- ly bloody this summer because there will not be officers to answer calls.
That’s just the reality of this policy, and if that doesn’t scare the shit out of people, the fact that our pension fund could be in even worse shape than the fire department’s by the end of this year should, because that’s coming out of tax revenue. The aldermen
better wake up and realize they need to get a handle on this. If they are unable to rein in the dictator on the fifth floor of City Hall, we are full steam ahead off the cliff like Thelma and Louise. I just hope they understand the gravity of allowing this to go forward and what could happen to this City in blood and treasure, as the saying goes.
I hope it doesn’t get to that. Because, like I said, my heart bleeds for the officers having to make this decision. A lot of them are in some very bad positions to have to make this decision. We’ve gotten calls and emails, and I’ve gotten text messages that say, “I am not getting the shot.” I mean, we have people saying, “Screw it.”
The other dynamic that we’re addressing even now is the situ- ation where officers who weren’t planning on retiring now might have to retire. And so healthcare becomes an issue, because they did not declare for the 55-and-up healthcare in October like they were supposed to. So if they retire, that means they’re retiring with no healthcare.
That’s not fair either. The City changed the game, so those mem- bers should be afforded an opportunity to have healthcare.
Believe me, we are still fighting this and will continue to do so.
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