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Chicago Fraternal Police union president: City is refusing to let cops protect citizens of Chicago

By FOX 32 Digital Staff
Published  October 18, 2021 11:07am CDT
Chicago Police Department
FOX 32 Chicago

Chicago Fraternal Order of Police union continues to fight city's requirement to get vaccinated or get tested regularly

The Chicago Fraternal Order of Police union does not want officers to be required to meet the city's COVID requirements.

CHICAGO - Chicago Fraternal Order of Police union president John Catanzara said Monday that there might be a "a lot less officers on the street" if the city enforces its COVID policies.

Chicago is requiring city employees to upload their vaccine status into a database. Employees who are not vaccinated are required to undergo regular testing.

Catanzara, who has compared the COVID requirements to Nazi Germany, said Monday that the real issue is that the city is violating the union's collective bargaining rights.

"If our officers hold the line, there's going to be a lot less officers on the street if they're going to send them home with no pay," he said. "I mean if I'm not getting paid, I'm not coming to work. I think everybody can understand that simple concept." 

Catanzara said that the blame lies on the city, who he said could resolve the conflict with an arbitrator.

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"They can put out any policy they want but those policies are subject to union contract negotiations. Our position from day one is that the order is improper and unethical because it violates our collective bargaining rights," he said.

Catanzara said in the meantime, the police department has put restrictions on time-off requests.

"[Officers are] not refusing to protect the citizens of Chicago. The city is refusing to let them protect the citizens of Chicago," he said.

Over the weekend, Catanzara bemoaned the lack of support from the city's aldermen and said that most would be targeted in the next election.

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Chicago Fraternal Order of Police prez: Union will hold aldermen ‘accountable’ over vaccine mandate

'Remember them aldermen,' Chicago Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara said. 'We need to go for every single one of them and get them out. We cannot accept excuses any more from these aldermen. They had the ability to go after the mayor and stop this deadline from even becoming a reality. They are going to be held accountable in 2023 I can assure you of that.