By Anthony Rice

In the City of Chicago, the arbitrator denied the grievance alleging a CBA violation for the City’s decision not to staff a Patrol Officer on a holiday, despite having done so in the past.

At the time of the alleged CBA violation, the Grievant, who is currently a Sergeant in the Chicago P.D., was a Patrol Officer detailed to the Special Events Unit. The Special Events Unit is responsible for coordinating the P.D.’s response to special events, such as parades, motorcades, and movie shoots. Thus, on holidays like Lincoln’s Birthday, at issue here, the Grievant normally is assigned work. However, in this case the Grievant was not “required to work” his regular tour of duty on the contractual holiday because The Special Events Unit had been declared “non-essential” by the City. The Union grieved, asserting the City abused its Management rights.

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By Jordan Jones

In City of Troy, the arbitrator rejected a grievance over the City’s denial of a police officer’s tuition reimbursement request due to the City’s budgetary constraints.

Police officer Misirian informed his employer that he planned on registering for two graduate courses at a university and that he was seeking tuition reimbursement. The City subsequently denied the police officer’s request stating that “2013 [f]unding does not allow for tuition reimbursement at this time.” In other words, the City claimed their budget would not allow for it. [Read more…]

By Jordan Jones

In City of Chicago, the arbitrator, citing “management rights” denied police officers’ grievance for not being assigned overtime for “Operation Safe Summer.”

 Police officers from the First District of the City of Chicago filed this grievance after being denied overtime for Operation Safe Summer. Operation Safe Summer was a program designed to counter gang violence in specific high crime areas of the City.  The City took the position that only current gang and tactical team officers were eligible for this assignment. [Read more…]

By Anthony Rice

In the City of Ocala, an arbitrator found that the City did not violate the CBA when it urine tested 19 firefighters who had access to two fire trucks from which narcotics went missing.

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By Anthony Rice

In City of Chicago, the arbitrator reduced the Grievant’s suspension from 20 days to 10 days for a Chicago officer charged with interference in the execution of search warrant during an investigation of a car bombing by a suburban Police Department in which the Officer’s friend was a suspect.  The arbitrator ordered the reduction after he concluded that the Officer did not interfere with the execution of a search warrant, but did agree that the Officer had been verbally abusive to the investigating officers.

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