Chicago Drops COVID Vaccine Mandate Lawsuit against Police Union
By Gregory Pratt
Source Chicago Tribune
The city of Chicago has dropped its lawsuit against the Fraternal Order of Police over local union President John Catanzara’s push for officers to defy Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s vaccine mandate.
Lightfoot had asked the courts to intervene after the union chief told members to disobey her Oct. 15 deadline to report their vaccine status. The local FOP in turn filed its own lawsuit against the city, mayor and police Superintendent David Brown that seeks to force arbitration over the matter.
That case is ongoing. A Cook County judge previously ruled that the city’s vaccination policy can remain in place for now, but the city can’t enforce the Dec. 31 deadline for officers to get the shot without first arbitrating it with the police unions. In addition to the FOP, the other three Chicago police unions, for sergeants, lieutenants and captains, are co-plaintiffs.
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Lightfoot said her decision comes after more officers have complied with her mandate for reporting their vaccine status.
“The past few weeks have shown what I have said from the beginning to be true: that our brave police officers are smarter than their FOP leadership, and care more about their city, their fellow Chicagoans, and upholding their sworn oath to protect and serve, than they do Catanzara’s frivolous demands to stop working,” Lightfoot said in a statement.
The FOP continues to fight the mandate. Catanzara recently retired from the Police Department while the police board was considering whether he should be fired. He has said he will run for mayor in 2023, which Lightfoot said would be “a gift” to her.
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