Page 10 - FOP JUNE Newsletter

Stepping up to the plate
Brothers and Sisters, during this time of year major league baseball players are not the only ones stepping up to the plate for their teams. This was apparent on the streets of Chicago on May 25, a hot afternoon leading into the Memorial Day weekend. While in my office, pumping out a couple of grievances, there was a “bad guy” planning to pump lead into an un- expected victim on the South Side. The plan
and investigate these scenes. The city is concerned about the TSA lines, but the holding pattern they need to pay more attention to is the one our detectives are in because of the shortage of vehicles. How about reporting that on the Nine O’clock News?
If members have problems with any of the facilities or equipment, do not hesitate to call Field Representative Marlon Harvey or me at the Lodge so we can address those
undesirable and unacceptable work conditions. If the fa- cilities and the equipment are not maintained with the heat rising, the only cold bodies we are going
to have this summer will be found in the morgue.
Medical corner
In February, I filed a grievance (129-16-004) on behalf of all affected members. I discovered that the city was violating both the Memorandum of Un- derstanding on pages 122 to 124 of our CBA as it applied to retirees between the ages of 55 and 60 and Section 25.2 by denying eligibility to these retirees’ dependents who
are Medicare eligible.
In essence, the free healthcare for officers who are mar-
ried covers the officers who are qualified for the program and their dependent(s). This means if you are covering a spouse or dependent and the dependent reaches Medi- care age, your dependent is able to stay on free health- care, but must apply for Medicare Part A (hospital) and Part B (Doctors and Major Medical.) The Medicare-eligi- ble dependent will continue on the free healthcare with Medicare as their primary and BlueCross BlueShield as the supplemental. Vision and Dental insurance continues under the free healthcare program. The coverage stays in effect until the employee who qualified for the free healthcare turns 65. If you feel that you are being affected by this, please call Maggie or me at the Lodge so that we can get your information as we continue the fight to make you whole.
Reminder
First responders routinely deal with physical, psycho- logical and spiritually dangerous assignments. The inju- ries they receive are not always physical. Sometimes in- juries that hurt the most are not visible. I’m referring to alcoholism, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and everyday stresses. If you think that you might be suffering with one of these and need help, you are not alone. Please feel free to contact EAP 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 312-747-5492 for a confidential appointment or call me at the Lodge at 312-733-7776. Members can also contact the Police Chaplains at 312-738-7588. You must exercise caution and not put yourself in a situation where your FOID card may be unnecessarily revoked, resulting in a no-pay status and loss of benefits when you may need them the most.
Acknowledgment
On May 26, many of Chicago’s Finest were honored at the 55th Annual Police Recognition Ceremony. These of- ficers performed selfless acts not to be recognized one
CONTINUED ON PAGE 11
RAY CASIANO, JR
was foiled by an off-duty officer who took action. I received the call of the officer-involved shooting and, along with John Farrell, responded to the call
to meet the officer involved.
Despite the fact that our members are taking a beating from the media, and perception is becom-
ing reality in some cases, we still have our members going out on the street, on and off-duty, stepping up to the plate and protecting the citizens. As was the case on that Wednesday afternoon. Although the offender was able to make good on his escape, he left behind the gun used and his mask he used. Even though we are going through what we are going through, our members are still stepping up to the plate, on and off-duty, with a strong advocacy coming from Chicago Lodge 7.
Chicago’s finest hot under the collar
Back at Area Central, while meeting with the off-duty officer, you have no idea how cooler heads were prevail- ing. I went to the Area and as I was walking in it felt like a sauna. There was no air conditioning. The temperature on the detectives’ floor was approaching 90 degrees. Al- though the department had provided some portable AC units, detectives were sweating all over the place. So as offenders on the street are packing heat and crime is ris- ing with the temperature outside, we have our detectives dealing with heat in their own office due to equipment not working properly, and the media continues to turn up the pressure cooker.
Within moments of being there I was approached by several Area Central detectives about the situation and rightly so. I immediately contacted the Department’s Management Labor Affairs Section (MLAS) on behalf of the detectives working in their ties and long sleeve shirts with drops of sweat coming down their foreheads. I re- ceived an email the next morning from MLAS that the Department was aware of the situation and some parts had been ordered to get the system working as soon as possible. (They also told me they are looking at replacing some windows that could not be opened.) This is the kind of response from the Department that makes us think the new leadership is not just full of hot air.
Yet, just when everybody seemed to be cooling off, the detectives started sharing other issues that needed to be addressed. Apparently, they were concerned about more than just the temperature inside. With the heat rising outside, there are a lot more call-outs for detectives to re- spond, including shootings and other crime scenes. The problem is that they are having to wait an average of an hour or more for a car to come in so they can then go out
10 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ JUNE 2016
First Vice President’s
REPORT