Page 12 - November 2019 FOP

Financial Secretary’s Report
Why a grievance might be withdrawn
November brings Thanksgiving and the start of the Christmas season, with a chance to spend time with our loved ones.
A Grievance Committee meeting was held on Oct. 17 with the following results: The com- mittee decided to withdraw 10 grievances, but most of the withdrawals were recommended to encourage the officers to come in to further explain their situation. Although similar, each
grievance has a different set of circumstances.
For instance, one grievance was filed due to someone with less seniority working on the date that the grievant of- ficer applied for. In another case, the officer was short in ac- tivity but had paperwork to show that he did have sufficient activity to work. In this case, the first thing you must do ac- cording to the general orders and the contract is submit a to-from to Special Events. He did not do this, so the griev- ance was unable to go forward. Another officer submitted a to-from but did not have proof of the activity, so the griev-
ance could not go forward. So the factors involved with each grievance determine whether it will be won or lost.
The committee determined that two grievances should go forward; these were in addition to a previous griev- ance filed by the same officer. Sometimes you must file a grievance for each individual violation because one cov- er-all grievance will not be sufficient. In another instance, a retiree mentioned that he had received a letter regarding healthcare insurance for those on Medicare from the pen- sion board around September. He basically explained that once you filled it out, you would get a check for the money that the City owed you for healthcare (about $21 a month). After sending back the letter, most retirees received a check within a couple of weeks. If you have any further questions concerning this issue, contact the pension board.
Please wish everyone in your family a happy Thanksgiv- ing. Stay safe.
MICHAEL GARZA
12 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ NOVEMBER 2019