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Making the headlines
The year 2016 has been a very trying time for law enforcement not only in Chicago, but around the world. From Dallas to London, from Louisiana to Paris, from New York to Rio de Janeiro, there has been a disconnect be-
for the most part this disconnect falls on society. Education, jobs, and the breakdown of the family structure all continue in a vicious cycle that keeps young people from progressing and that keeps adding to the ranks of street gangs. Now throw in the govern- ment and the media fanning these flames, and the fire and violence on the streets of Chicago have gotten out of control. Without education and job opportunities, people’s natural instincts to survive will lead them down the path of the underworld: stealing, robbing, selling dope, selling their bodies, selling loose cigarettes, and committing any number of other crimes to survive.
Now add to the mix the police—the champions of justice—now being viewed as the bad guys due to neg- ative portrayals by the media, and by certain politicians and clergy. Yes, there are some bad police officers just like there are bad employees at any job or company, but Chicago has many, many more good and great officers who are out on the streets doing their jobs—heading in the direction of shots being fired, because that is part of our job description and that is what we are trained to do. When we arrive on the scene of an offender with a gun, we, the police, are there to keep the peace. That sometimes means that we may have to take the life of a real bad guy to ensure peace and safety for all.
Pension and benefits
Why is it that the City of Chicago and the State of Illi- nois are trying everything possible not to hold up their end of a bargain that has been in place for years? I re- member very clearly not that long ago (even though it’s been almost 30 years) a statement from an old-timer: “Kid, if you don’t get yourself killed or indicted, there’s two things you’ll never have to worry about—your pen- sion and your benefits!”
Well, guess what? It seems like over the past six years or so, that’s exactly what we’ve been worried about: pension and benefits. When I first entered 1300 W. Jack- son Blvd. on Feb. 2, 1987, my classmates and I were in- formed that if we gave the City 32 years and a day (now compressed to 29 years and a day), the City of Chicago
16 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ DECEMBER 2016
would take care of us the rest of our lives and take care of our spouses for the rest of their lives. At the time I was 26, and thinking, “In 32 years, I’ll be 58! That sounds like a pretty good deal. I’ll still be relatively young and live a
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comfortable life after retirement.” Now, at 55, I’ve given the City of Chicago the best years of my life through my 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s. I’ve been injured several times on duty, and now the city wants to renege on the deal to take care of us. I understand that this is a business and sometimes tough decisions are made to save money. I’m not in with the peo- ple doing the city budgets, but there should be oth- er things that can be cut besides the benefits promised
to retirees and their widows.
Friendly reminders
Baby furlough and personal days that have been car- ried over from 2015 need to be used before the end of 2016. If you don’t use them, you will lose them—so un- less you’re in the top percent of your District or Unit, please don’t wait until Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve to try to use them. This also applies to vacation days that haven’t been used. Every year, our members forfeit un- used time off.
For personal days from 2016, you can carry over four or sell back four, and with baby furlough days you can carry over four or sell back all. Please reference Employ- ee Resource E 02–06 for more details.
Tuition reimbursement, as with most things in this department, also has time limits. With the end of the fall semesters upon us, please ensure that all of our mem- bers who are taking classes to further their education get their grades in so that they receive their reimburse- ments.
The adjustment week for 2017 will fall during the week of July 16–22. There is a reasonable chance that the de- partment will not allow for furlough extensions between the segments of 7B and 8A! Good luck, brothers and sis- ters, with that one.
Happy holidays
I would like to wish all of our members and their fam- ilies a heartfelt Merry Christmas, and a very special New Year! In 2017 we, the staff of F.O.P. Lodge 7, will continue the good fight to ensure that the members of Lodge 7 will continue to have all the rights afforded to them just like anyone else who falls under a collective bargaining agreement. We will not be bullied by people who want to promote their own personal goals and who have never been the police or understand how to run a police de- partment.d
ween law enforcement and the people. Some of this disconnect falls on us be- ing able to communicate better within the communities that we police, but
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KEITH CARTER
Field Representative
REPORT