High-ranking Chicago police supervisors push to unionize amid beef with City Hall
<p>A group of high-ranking Chicago police officials are pushing to form their own union, setting up a possible fight with Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration.</p><p>In a letter last month to Militza Pagán, Johnson’s deputy mayor of labor relations, an attorney with the Illinois Police Benevolent & Protective Association asked the city to “voluntarily recognize” a new collective bargaining unit of police commanders and deputy chiefs. The union already represents sergeants, lieutenants and captains.</p><p>The union attorney, David Amerson, noted Chicago’s “long and proud history of being a pro-union city” and pointed to an executive order Johnson signed in 2023 expressing his commitment to “expand the right to organize for all Chicagoans.”</p><p>A source with knowledge of the unionization push said it was launched after the city curtailed how much time exempt-rank supervisors can spend on medical leave.
Reported by 1 outlet — Chicago Sun-Times. See all sources ↓
<p>A group of high-ranking Chicago police officials are pushing to form their own union, setting up a possible fight with Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration.</p><p>In a letter last month to Militza Pagán, Johnson’s deputy mayor of labor relations, an attorney with the Illinois Police Benevolent & Protective Association asked the city to “voluntarily recognize” a new collective bargaining unit of police commanders and deputy chiefs. The union already represents sergeants, lieutenants and captains.</p><p>The union attorney, David Amerson, noted Chicago’s “long and proud history of being a pro-union city” and pointed to an executive order Johnson signed in 2023 expressing his commitment to “expand the right to organize for all Chicagoans.”</p><p>A source with knowledge of the unionization push said it was launched after the city curtailed how much time exempt-rank supervisors can spend on medical leave. </p><p>The issue only surfaced when two commanders were told they needed to return to work, as one remained hospitalized with a serious illness and the other was recovering from back surgery, the source said.</p><p>Commanders and deputy chiefs used to be able to tap into a year of medical leave, like other sworn department members. Now, they must accrue medical time at a rate of one day for every month worked, according to the source.</p><p>However, a mayoral spokesperson insisted there has been no change in policy.</p><p>"The Mayor’s Office met with the PBPA [Illinois Police Benevolent & Protective Association] in mid-July to gain an initial understanding of the issues facing Deputy Chiefs and Commanders and discuss their position," the spokesperson said in a statement.
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- <p>A group of high-ranking Chicago police officials are pushing to form their own union, setting up a possible fight with Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration.</p><p>In a letter last month to Militza Pagán, Johnson’s deputy mayor of labor relations, an attorney with the Illinois Police Benevolent & Protective Association asked the city to “voluntarily recognize” a new collective bargaining unit of police commanders and deputy chiefs. The union already represents sergeants, lieutenants and captains.</p><p>The union attorney, David Amerson, noted Chicago’s “long and proud history of being a pro-union city” and pointed to an executive order Johnson signed in 2023 expressing his commitment to “expand the right to organize for all Chicagoans.”</p><p>A source with knowledge of the unionization push said it was launched after the city curtailed how much time exempt-rank supervisors can spend on medical leave.
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High-ranking Chicago police supervisors push to unionize amid beef with City Hall
Sources1TypeCoverageChicago Sun-Times