Chicago police union to challenge Mayor Johnson in court over parental leave discrepancy

CHICAGO - The Chicago police union is vowing to fight Mayor Brandon Johnson in court over parental leave.

The union representing Chicago police officers say they deserve the same amount of parental leave as Chicago's public school employees.

Last week, Mayor Johnson granted all CPS workers 12 weeks - without negotiations. This comes after months of controversy over former Mayor Lori Lightfoot who allegedly promised more time off for parents but never delivered.

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But now, Fraternal Order of Police Chicago Lodge 7 President John Catanzara says officers should receive the same amount of time.

"We are gonna explore every possibility about taking this mayor to court. We will present testimony, very emotional testimony, from members who have been effected. Who have not been afforded the ability to bond with their children for the last six-plus months, while every other city employee has pretty much had that ability since this policy has been enacted. It's disgraceful," he said.

The senior mayoral adviser told the Chicago Sun-Times that officers’ leave is, "significant and robust, allows broad flexibility to use — even for parental leave. So it’s really not even a comparable situation."