If Mayor Brandon Johnson was willing to give Chicago Public Schools employees 12 weeks of paid parental leave without demanding that it be negotiated at the bargaining table, he should do the same for police officers, according to their union president.
Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara helped to engineer the union’s endorsement of vanquished mayoral challenger Paul Vallas and warned that Johnson’s election would pave the way for an “exodus like we’ve never seen before,” with up to 1,000 officers leaving the force.
But that didn’t stop Catanzara from demanding parity with a Chicago Teachers Union that Johnson once served as a paid organizer.
“The teachers were granted parental leave — without bargaining. We certainly expect the same considerations for our membership,” Catanzara told his members in a YouTube video posted late Friday.
“The call was placed to Mayor Johnson’s team. The conversation was had. Our position was well-stated. And we look forward [to] a response very quickly from Mayor Johnson’s administration about what they’re gonna do with Lodge 7 members and the parental leave.”
Catanzara noted that 12 weeks of paid parental leave is a benefit that former Mayor Lori Lightfoot “gave all city workers, full-stop.” It therefore “should not be considered against the medical time benefit that is already in” the police contract, he said.
“It needs to be a separate consideration and calculation. That’s what we’re demanding. That’s what we expect,” Catanzara told his members.
The Johnson administration had no immediate comment on the FOP’s demand.
Chicago police officers already have a generous sick pay policy that allows them to take up to 365 days off every two years.
The new mayor could have a difficult time denying the police union’s request, considering how emphatic he was on the subject last week.
The response came when Johnson was asked whether his decision to give to his former union a paid parental leave policy that Lightfoot demanded be negotiated at the bargaining table was a sign that he plans to give away the store when negotiating the next teachers contract.
“This is not a gift to the CTU. This is a policy for the people of Chicago,” the mayor said.
“Do you understand how disruptive and problematic it would be if we are negotiating the context of whether someone lives or dies or if they have services? That’s not for negotiation. … You’re comparing a negotiation with a policy that is ultimately designed to save people’s lives.”
CTU President Stacy Davis Gates agreed that 12 weeks of paid parental leave “makes sense and it should never be at a negotiating table.”
“In fact, this should be the norm for every woman who works in any industry — any parent that works in any industry — to nurture their child, but also to have an opportunity to heal their bodies,” Davis Gates said on that day.
Catanzara spent the last four years doing battle with Lightfoot over all things law enforcement.
But Catanzara and Johnson appear to be at least attempting to forge a different, more collaborative path. Shortly after the election, the two men held their first conversation to break the ice.
The new mayor persuaded Catanzara to wait for the Illinois General Assembly to eliminate a two-tier pension system for new and old police officers with a promise to tackle the longstanding inequity in the fall.
Johnson then appointed a commission to help resolve the crisis of underfunded police and fire pensions. The police pension fund has just 23.5% of the assets needed to cover liabilities. The firefighters fund is at 20.9%.
So far, the spirit of cooperation appears to be working.
In Friday’s video, Catanzara went out of his way to thank Johnson’s hand-picked interim Chicago Police Supt. Fred Waller and Chief of Patrol Brian McDermott for going “out of their way to have a conversation with this lodge about work schedules, not only for Juneteenth, but NASCAR, July 4th and all of that.”
“It is the first time consideration has come from the fifth floor of headquarters about what our membership should get and what the work schedules should be going forward,” Catanzara said. “I’m not promising you any miracles here. But just the fact that there is an open dialogue is quite refreshing. And I wanted to acknowledge that and say, ‘Thank you.’”
Jason Lee, a senior adviser to Johnson, said the mayor is determined to forge a “working relationship with all of the people who ... serve this city on the front lines, including law enforcement.”
“Part of the rationale for the choice of interim Supt. Fred Waller was his deep relationships and respect among rank-and-file officers,” Lee said. “And one of the things he talked about was the need for communication vis-a-vis work schedules. ... They’re willing to work when the city has needs. But clarity and communication go a long way toward making that feasible. I’m glad to hear those conversations have been happening and that they’ve been productive.”
