Police Union Files Grievance Over NATO Summit

By Chuck Sudo in News on May 25, 2012 7:00PM

Mayor Emanuel, Police Supt. Garry McCarthy and local leaders and a fair number of citizens have praised the work of the Police Department's rank-and-file during the NATO summit. But the union representing police officers say Hosannas don't pay the bills.

Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7 filed a class action complaint connected to the summit. This one disputes the city's position of not compensating officers for working a sixth or seventh consecutive day in a week. FOP president Mike Shields wrote in a post on the police union's website:

The wording of Section 20.3 of our contract could not be any more unambiguous. It states: An officer who is in pay status for six (6) or seven (7) consecutive days within the pay period Sunday through Saturday will be compensated at the rate of time-and-one-half for work performed on the sixth (6th) day and seventh (7th) day.

Police Department spokeswoman Melissa Stratton told the Sun-Times the two sides are working on a resolution.

"The Chicago Police Department fully intends to work through these issues with the union to ensure that our officers are fully compensated for their work during the NATO Summit.”

This is the fourth grievance filed by FOP against CPD related to the NATO summit. Last week the union filed a complaint disputing the city's position that officers would not be credited with compensatory time related to any overtime they worked during the summit. Earlier complaints challenged the city's decision to cancel furloughs during a two-week period that coincided with the summit and to ensure "correct compensation" for officers who worked a regular tour of duty during the summit, but had their start times adjusted by more than two hours from their normal watch's designated start time.

McCarthy announced in January the department would switch to 12-hour shifts during the summit and canceled days off so that manpower resources could be used to cover the NATO summit protests and still patrol neighborhoods.

The Tribune's John Kass, among others, saw this coming.

"If there's one group that knows Chicago isn't Happy Land, it is the police. They understand the ancient law applied by emperors to their guards and by mayors to their cops: The hand that pets you now can just as easily haul off and crack you in the mouth.

"When City Hall is done basking in the reflected glory of a relatively violence-free NATO summit, the cops who made sure the city wasn't embarrassed most likely will be repaid. And not with candy and nuts. Labor negotiations will begin, and police worry that their paychecks will be squeezed and their pensions cut."