Chicago — Mayor Lori Lightfoot plans to put Chicago police officers and other city officials who have not been first vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine by Sunday without disciplinary action, her administration said. Said late Friday.
The city will also consider disciplinary action for workers, but it will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis as the Lightfoot administration balances public health policies with police station staffing issues.
“All city officials, including Chicago police officers, may face disciplinary action, including dismissal, even if they do not comply. These decisions are addressed at the individual and departmental levels, public safety and routine. It is done in a way that does not affect the continuity of government operations, “her office said in a statement.
Lightfoot’s latest announcement is in a court battle with the Chicago Brothers Police over vaccination obligations, after the city won another round in court this week. But she has appealed the latest legal ruling and pressure from a group of city councilors who are still trying to revoke the rules, as well as from the police union claiming that the mission will lead to the outflow of officers. Facing
As a result of a proceeding against the city by the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7 and other police unions last year, the February arbitrator upheld the vaccination requirements of city officials, making this Sunday the first shot of the first shot. I set it as a deadline.
This week, the judge’s decision to reject the union’s request for reconsideration and lift the order prior to suspending vaccine policy was an additional setback for the local FOP, whose president, John Katanzara, Mandate. Has been arguing for months that it violates the union’s collective bargaining agreement.
The FOP has appealed the ruling, but Katanzara has admitted to Friday’s online video membership that unvaccinated police officers could be placed in unpaid positions on Monday. However, the arbitrator said on Friday that officers pending vaccination tax exemption applications would be exempt from the rules until they received the decision, and officers who were denied tax exemption would receive a six-week grace period. Katanzara said hundreds of executives could fall into that category.
These statements could not be immediately confirmed by city hall representatives.
When the appeal was announced on Wednesday, Katanzara said: All I can say is that I’m not going to stop punching. This can easily be avoided altogether before this cliff becomes a reality. “
A “cliff” is just under 2,800 unvaccinated Chicago police officers who, according to Katanzara, will leave the army immediately unless they receive a religious or medical exemption from vaccination policy. there is.
In recent weeks, Katanzara warned that he would be a “blood bath” in Shikago if his predictions of a major resignation were realized. He didn’t immediately answer the question on Friday about why he thinks a significant percentage of the 2,800 executives will resign.
As of March 3, 30 members of the police station and 21 employees of the fire department were unpaid, according to a city spokesman. Some city officials lost their payments because they did not meet the previous deadlines for reporting vaccine status and submitting to weekly COVID-19 tests.
The arbitrator’s ruling said that as of December, 6,621 Chicago Police Departments had applied for religious exemptions, about 58% of whom were still awaiting approval or refusal. Only 1.5% of requests were allowed.
According to the ruling, 11% of all accommodations are permitted and 52% are pending throughout the city.
In February, Katanzara demanded that union members denied exemptions continue to file requests and even file complaints with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which claims “medical discrimination.” All this paves the way for future court battles over the tax exemption process itself, he said.
Also on Friday, 12 city council members sent a letter to Wrightfoot announcing that they would call a special city council meeting if she did not respond to concerns about vaccination obligations. Members of the council have flagged a “clear and present danger” to public security because the first responder should be disciplined. City council members also point out the “innate immunity” of workers infected with COVID-19, and public health experts do not recommend it as an alternative to vaccination.
“We can’t afford to lose another police officer, firefighter, emergency medical staff, and city official during this critical time,” wrote a city council member.
At Lightfoot’s instructions, all city employees were required to report vaccination status until October 15, but until the end of the year, instead of taking shots, they would undergo regular COVID-19 tests. I was able to choose that. However, after the police union challenged the mandatory vaccine in court, the judge suspended the date of December 31, when members were fully vaccinated, saying they needed to go through arbitration.
Other unions representing city workers, including firefighters, tried to do the same, but failed when the arbitrators supported the city in December. In February, the same arbitrator also handed the defeat to the police union.
As the latest deadline for the city’s first shot approaches, Lightfoot faces tough choices when it comes to conducting mandates. Since 2019, police station staff have dropped significantly and the city is struggling to find a replacement for a police officer who has quit his job. Chicago is also in the midst of a massive crime surge that began in early 2020.
Judge Raymond Mitchell of Cook County denied the FOP’s bid to abandon the arbitral award on Wednesday and pleaded for both sides to come together despite a conflicting path. It’s too late for the judge to sit down again, nodding to his belief that “Chicago needs police” and “an extraordinary relentless challenge” bothers city leaders and police. Said he didn’t.
“These were difficult times. The relationship may have frayed,” Mitchell wrote. “But still, the parties to this proceeding have the power to negotiate a compromise.”
That same day, YouTube video Katanzara accused Lightfoot and police foreman David Brown of having “absolutely stupid leadership.”
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(John Burn of the Chicago Tribune contributed to this story.)
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