Page 17 - August 2017

Financial Secretary’s Report
Grievances and negotiations
July was very busy. In addition to regular committee meetings, the FOP Annual Picnic was held again at Gaelic Park in Oak Forest. It was a top-notch turnout on a mostly sunny day. I was the figurehead of the picnic, with Officer John Catanzara taking care of all ar- rangements. Officers Cora Hudik, Gary Hudik and Steve Marchfield also assisted every inch of the way.
A new gift-shop trailer was in place at the picnic, which worked out well for all involved. Our gift-shop employees Teddy, Tom and Ina worked their tails off, and the store did a great job of offering a wide array of products. There was a mad rush when the bargain bin opened at noon.
No one was trampled, but great bargains were had by all. At the picnic itself, plenty of free pop, ice cream and beer was available, the carnival rides ran briskly and there were booths from the Chicago Patrolmen’s Federal Cred- it Union and Shield U Insurance, along with a children’s fingerprinting booth. We also had a petting zoo and a visit from the Chicago Police helicopters — it was quite a sight as they flew over the picnic. John and I would like to thank Frank DiMaria, the previous head of the FOP picnic, for his assistance in another very successful event.
On to FOP business: The Grievance Committee met on July 20 and decided to go forward with eight grievances, defer six grievances for further information or clarification and withdraw six grievances. One of the cases discussed has exhausted the process for the Grievance Committee; the next step would be to address the full board of direc- tors, if so desired. Some-
times legal remedies are possible; officers have the option to schedule an appointment with the Legal Defense Com- mittee to see if they can help in the situation.
In previous articles I’ve talked about filing a grievance when being served with a suspen- sion. This issue bears repeating, as I am still getting calls on people forgetting to file a griev- ance after signing the Request for Review of Discipline form. This time I am including in my article pictures of the forms. The first form is the one the supervisor
gives you to initial and check the appropriate box. The second form is the actual grievance form that you fill out and file with the district (or unit) secretary. After you file the grievance, a number will be issued and put at the top of the form. You get a copy, and the remaining copies are sent to the union and to Management and Labor Affairs. The process is in place to help protect you against unsub- stantiated allegations, so please follow the procedure to the best of your ability. Find out who your unit represen- tative is and ask for help. You can always call or stop down at the union with questions.
The union has had a couple of contract negotiation meetings and at the time of this report is preparing to meet with the City. President Graham has committed to standing firm on keeping all of the rights and benefits we have fought for over the years.
In other events, FOP Board Member Mark Tamlo and I took a trip out to the 14th District to address afternoon roll calls. Most officers had similar questions about get- ting days off and having days off cancelled; many had good suggestions about proposals for the contract ne- gotiations. The following week, President Graham and I addressed the 15th District, where many more good pro- posals were recommended.
On a final note, when dealing with a difficult job like ours, try to find time to do the things you enjoy. We work hard and sometimes get lost in the work. Invest time in family, friends or other enjoyments. We live this life, so find a way to enjoy it. Please. d
MICHAEL GARZA
CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ AUGUST 2017 17