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* Heather Cherone at WTTW…
Most city of Chicago employees — including Chicago’s firefighters — must be vaccinated against COVID-19, an arbitrator ruled, handing Mayor Lori Lightfoot a significant victory, WTTW News has learned.
The decision, issued Wednesday, applies to Chicago employees represented by Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 21, the Service Employees International Union, Local 73, Teamsters Local 700, and all Coalition of Unionized Public Employees trade unions, officials said.
A separate arbitration, set to take place before Dec. 31, will determine whether Chicago Police officers represented by the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7 must be vaccinated against COVID-19. However, the decision indicates that Lightfoot’s vaccine mandate is likely to be upheld for employees of the Chicago Police Department as well.
“The city is pleased that a neutral arbitrator selected by both parties upheld the City’s right to issue a vaccine mandate to its employees,” according to a statement from Law Department spokesperson Kristen Cabanban.
Illinois Department of Corrections employees are likely to get the same outcome pretty soon. These mandates are legal.
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Dec 16, 21 @ 3:40 pm
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Cue Catanzara…on 3…2…and Go.
Comment by Dotnonymous Thursday, Dec 16, 21 @ 3:42 pm
It’ll be great watching these prison guards in Vienna get the jab once they realize how good of a job and benefits they have down there compared to the private sector in Southern Illinois. Really sticking with your core beliefs.
Comment by Almost the Weekend Thursday, Dec 16, 21 @ 3:44 pm
Good.
Comment by Amalia Thursday, Dec 16, 21 @ 3:51 pm
I’ll second that. Good.
Comment by Bob Meter Thursday, Dec 16, 21 @ 3:58 pm
Great news for my home state. Meanwhile, down in the COVID State of Missouri, GOP politicians are using a lower state court ruling against health orders from health agencies to strong arm schools into lifting mask mandates. Now the state treasurer is blackmailing them by requiring certification of compliance with the court ruling before releasing education money.
Comment by Norseman Thursday, Dec 16, 21 @ 4:01 pm
===These mandates are legal.===
Quit, move on… enough is enough.
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Dec 16, 21 @ 4:02 pm
Good Data, good mandate, but could that chart use some work to make it so at first reading the claim isn’t “Number 1 at Deaths per million”
Comment by Candy Dogood Thursday, Dec 16, 21 @ 4:04 pm
===- Candy Dogood - Thursday, Dec 16, 21 @ 4:04 pm:===
I obviously lost track of where I was reading.
Comment by Candy Dogood Thursday, Dec 16, 21 @ 4:07 pm
Take that, Roberta.
Comment by NonAFSCMEStateEmployeeFromChatham Thursday, Dec 16, 21 @ 4:07 pm
===Take that, Roberta.===
AFSCME is not a serious labor organization after Covid
Now go get your shots, quit, retire…
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Dec 16, 21 @ 4:11 pm
==AFSCME is not a serious labor organization after Covid
Now go get your shots, quit, retire…==
Glad I am fully vaccinated and boosted and I am in a different union that is Not AFSCME.
Hopefully the Governor remembers AFSCME’s recalcitrant attitude toward vaccinations when it comes to contract renewal time in 2023. Especially if the Unserious Labor Organization wants raises and more gimmies in their contract (some of which other state employees can’t even hope for).
Comment by NonAFSCMEStateEmployeeFromChatham Thursday, Dec 16, 21 @ 4:21 pm
Hopefully the Governor remembers AFSCME’s recalcitrant attitude toward vaccinations when it comes to contract renewal time in 2023. Especially if the Unserious Labor Organization wants raises and more gimmies in their contract (some of which other state employees can’t even hope for).
Then explain why the gov isn’t requiring all union statecworkers to get vaccinated..i know for a fact.
Comment by Masker Thursday, Dec 16, 21 @ 4:27 pm
==Then explain why the gov isn’t requiring all union statecworkers to get vaccinated..i know for a fact.==
He needs to do that, regardless of union they’re in. The EO needs to come soon and cover all state workers, including those under constitutionals. Presumably AFSCME is still digging their heels about the corrections and human services workers resisting the vaxes.
Comment by NonAFSCMEStateEmployeeFromChatham Thursday, Dec 16, 21 @ 5:24 pm
AFSCME has always had an issue in that a significant portion of its membership, particularly outside of Cook County, is far more politically conservative than most other labor units in the state (with the notable exception of FOP).
Comment by Homebody Thursday, Dec 16, 21 @ 5:39 pm
As expected? You said the City was haphazard in implementing the vax mandate Rich.
Comment by Three Dimensional Checkers Thursday, Dec 16, 21 @ 5:55 pm
Good, hopefully this sends a clear message to all of these fine “public servants.” If you still do not like the decision - then quit and find yourself another job.
Comment by David Thursday, Dec 16, 21 @ 6:01 pm
I’d like to add in a Nelson Muntz “Ha Ha!” meme here but this whole thing is no longer funny.
Comment by Paddyrollingstone Thursday, Dec 16, 21 @ 6:04 pm
Good. Get vaccinated, get boosted, where a mask.
Comment by DHS Drone Thursday, Dec 16, 21 @ 8:06 pm
“Then explain why the gov isn’t requiring all union statecworkers to get vaccinated”
Many of the non-AFSCME State employee unions wait for AFSCME negotiations to be completed to attempt to get the same terms as AFSCME.
Eventually AFSCME will knuckle under to the Vax mandates. The rest of unions will follow.
Comment by Huh? Thursday, Dec 16, 21 @ 8:07 pm
====As expected?====
While I am happy with the decision of the arbitrator I wasn’t as confidant as you. You obviously talked to more people involved and looked at more of the filings than me. But from being involved in some arbitrations in the past, some of these decisions don’t always go the way you think.
Comment by Been There Thursday, Dec 16, 21 @ 9:44 pm
=== wants raises and more gimmies in their contract===
I understand that this is a new concept to the State of Illinois and that for many of the people who participate in this blog that it may also be a revolutionary concept, but a “State Job” is not a gift. While Illinois is still struggling to completely end some of it’s corrupt and illegal hiring practices, it’s important to keep in mind that the State of Illinois must participate
The attitude you’re putting forth here has nothing to do with vaccines, but you’re just using the vaccine mandate as an excuse to pretend like a “State Job” is some kind of gracious gift to be bestowed on favorites like we were some kind of 17th century monarchy.
The state directly employees tens of thousands of people and many of those positions are highly specialized, highly technical, require significant education and or significant experience to be able to perform those duties well. Can the job be “done” by someone without those attributes? Sure, but it won’t be done well. In addition to state laws requiring specific education, licenses, et al, there are also federal rules.
If the State is allowed to pretend like it’s public sector employees are benefactors of a gift, instead of an important part of how our state government delivers public goods and continues to provide important services and regulatory processes, we might discover that it is very difficult to retain the public servants that we need to retain and to develop the kind of leadership that our agencies need to have to be able to allow our government to excel in the 21st century.
Right now we languish with a government that is filled with middle and senior management that don’t always have the qualifications that are required for entry level positions at their agencies today and haven’t benefited from any intentional effort to develop good and talented bureaucrats at our state agencies because that costs extra.
We have an EPA that struggles to meet the a base level of statewide regulation, we have a Department of Corrections that struggles to be anything other than an endless series of human rights abuses, we have a Department of Children and Family Services that lacks the staffing and the resources to avoid children dying while also repeatedly losing in court because they simply repeatedly fail to meet the basic requirements they have under state and federal law, a Department of Veterans Affairs that has repeatedly created environments that has resulted in the deaths of veterans through negligence, incompetence, and just casual disregard for human life, and this is just the tip of the ice berg which we’ve been able to notice because people have died because ouf our failures to enact a State government that can do it’s job.
Optimism has it’s place in this world, but pretending like you can get good government and attract and retain talented and competent public sector employees on the cheap is just blatant stupidity.
Something that will need to be realistically understood by the Governor’s administration and the body politic of Illinois at large is that the current AFSCME contract back dates from 2015 through to 2023. During the Rauner administration there were no negotiated cost of living adjustments or if you prefer “accross the board raises” and the raises in the final 4 years of the contract period weren’t enough to offset inflation. The People of Illinois got a deal under the last AFSCME contract by short changing their public sector employees.
A July 2015 dollar bought the same amount as a $1.17 in November 2021. By the time the first month of the new AFSCME contract rolls around in 2023 how much do you think it will take to equal a July 2015 dollar?
The across the board raises in the current AFSCME contract were a great deal for the People of Illinois. They were never going to keep up with inflation over the entire 8 year period. If you aren’t sophisticated enough to realize that Illinois public employees have been repeatedly poked in the eye, that’s fine, but I’m pretty sure they’re sophisticated enough to know the negotiated contract raises didn’t keep up with inflation.
We need to understand that if we want our state to be able to do nice things, we have to pay for those nice things. Nice government doesn’t come on the cheap and the can has been kicked down the road in Illinois about as far as it can go.
Comment by Candy Dogood Thursday, Dec 16, 21 @ 9:59 pm
=== The Governor has not issued a blanket for all state employees. ===
A vaccine mandate for all public employees is a good policy proposal. Where the wheels fall off is in implementation.
Comment by Candy Dogood Friday, Dec 17, 21 @ 1:36 am
Well said Candy. Folks think it’s so wonderful working at the SOI in a AFSCME represented position, plenty of open positions.
Comment by BTO2 Friday, Dec 17, 21 @ 7:27 am
I fully agree, Candy. I’m a State worker with a certification that is specialized enough that the State has a hard time filling the positions that require it. This is due to the State paying below market for these positions compared to the private sector. I understand that most of the posters here want vaccine mandates, but there is a huge risk of driving out long-standing talent that is already worn down from covering multiple positions due to staffing shortages and at below average salaries. It’s going to hurt the State far more than it’s going to hurt those whom they’re alienating.
Comment by Rusty Shackleford Friday, Dec 17, 21 @ 8:44 am