It is clear that in Chicago, police officers have been relegated to the status of second-class public servants.
Nowhere is this more in evidence than in the decision by Mayor Brandon Johnson and his City Council supporters to oppose providing police with the same arbitration rights as other public employees. The police arbitration issue is not about accountability; it’s about fairness. Johnson deserves credit for approving a new Chicago Police Department contract that is financially generous and fair. This, along with his selection of a new police superintendent drawn from the Chicago Police Department, signals a move beyond the anti-police rhetoric of his supporters. Both actions could provide a much-needed boost to morale and help improve police retention and recruitment.
It is therefore disappointing, if not surprising, that the mayor feels the need to oppose an arbitrator’s decision to allow cops to contest serious misconduct cases in arbitration, thereby ensuring that police officers have the same rights as all other public employees.
All Illinois public employees, covered by the Illinois Public Labor Relations Act, have a fundamental right to a fair and impartial hearing before a labor arbitrator selected by their........