Page 10 - December 2019 FOP Magazine

Financial Secretary’s Report
Where are things heading in 2020?
Happy holidays and a merry Christmas to you and all your families. Take time to thank all the people in your life who support and care for you.
It has been very busy here at Lodge 7, with continuing contract negotiations and disagree- ments with the City on how they are proceeding with changes in the Department. At the time I am writing this article, the mayor has just fired the superintendent; this now fuels speculation
on who the next one will be and where he will come from. This also puts the temporary superintendent in a position to either make good decisions for us or go in the other di- rection; we shall see.
The new 2020 FOP books will be in the mail the week of Dec. 16; if all your information is correct in our records, you should be receiving your books shortly after that. The office staff all worked hard in bringing in all the updated infor- mation for the book. A special thanks to Kathy Spiewak for coordinating it all.
On to grievances: A grievance committee meeting was
held on Nov. 21 with the following results: three grievances were deferred due to additional information needed (such as A and A sheets in one case) in order for the committee to render a decision. Eight grievances were withdrawn, some of them medical. Jay Ryan comes into the committee to give the assessments and recommendations. Finally, there was a decision to go forward with eight grievances; again, even after arbitration is requested, there can be mediated settle- ment agreements between the officer, us and the City.
It is the end of the year, and the unit reps were invited down to the Lodge for updates and a Christmas dinner. I want to thank the unit reps for all their information and support. Without input from those working in the field, I would not be able to assist the hard working officers with any problems. Please contact your union for anything from assistance in writing out grievances to requesting help on simple questions regarding furloughs, seniority, overtime, etc.; that is what we are here for.
On a personal note: I have had a difficult year with the loss of my ma. Thanks to all the people who supported me during that difficult time. Please be safe.
MICHAEL GARZA
10 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ DECEMBER 2019