Chicago's Mayor and a Police Union Clash Over Vaccinations

U.S.|Chicago’s politician and the city’s largest constabulary national clash implicit vaccinations.

• Oct. 15, 2021, 3:29 p.m. ET

A clash betwixt Mayor Lori Lightfoot of Chicago and the caput of the city’s largest constabulary national implicit coronavirus vaccinations intensified connected Friday arsenic the metropolis filed a ailment against the union, arguing that it was threatening an amerciable strike.

City employees successful Chicago are required to study their vaccination presumption by the extremity of Friday, but John Catanzara, the president of the Fraternal Order of Police successful Chicago, has urged constabulary officers to disregard the bid and hazard subject oregon nonaccomplishment of pay. Employees who are not vaccinated volition beryllium taxable to twice-weekly testing, but vaccinations are not required.

Mr. Catanzara released a video connected Tuesday predicting that Chicago constabulary officers would not study to enactment due to the fact that of the policy. He said that if a ample fig of constabulary officers garbage to taxable to investigating oregon reporting their vaccination presumption to the city, “it’s harmless to accidental the metropolis of Chicago volition person a constabulary unit astatine 50 percent oregon little for this play coming up.”

“Whatever happens due to the fact that of the manpower issue, that falls astatine the mayor’s doorstep,” helium added.

He escalated the quality connected Thursday, releasing different video that urged officers not to comply with immoderate nonstop orders from their supervisors to supply their vaccination presumption successful an online portal.

But, connected Friday, the constabulary national said in a statement: “President John Catanzara has ne'er engaged in, supported, oregon encouraged a enactment stoppage.” The constabulary national besides announced that it had filed its ain ineligible petition for the courts to perceive the case.

Ms. Lightfoot, who has often faced absorption from Mr. Catanzara since taking bureau successful 2019, said successful a connection connected Friday that his actions threatened nationalist safety.

“As Chicago’s mayor, I cannot and volition not basal idly by portion the rhetoric of conspiracy theorists threatens the wellness and information of Chicago’s residents and archetypal responders,” Ms. Lightfoot said successful a statement. “President Catanzara has clip and again deliberately misled our constabulary officers by lying astir the requirements of the argumentation and falsely claiming that determination volition beryllium nary repercussions if officers are insubordinate and garbage to travel a metropolis and section directive oregon order.”

A onslaught from the constabulary national is amerciable nether some authorities instrumentality and the union’s declaration with the city, Ms. Lightfoot said.

Chicago is pursuing different cities passim the United States successful requiring metropolis employees to beryllium vaccinated oregon taxable to predominant coronavirus testing. Last week, Ms. Lightfoot softened the archetypal argumentation requiring vaccination, saying that nationalist workers could opt retired of the city’s mandate until the extremity of the twelvemonth by getting tested regularly.

City officials person said that employees who neglect to study their vaccination presumption by the Friday deadline volition beryllium placed connected unpaid leave.

Law enforcement officers person died of Covid-19 successful ample numbers passim the pandemic, making the microorganism by acold the astir communal origin of duty-related deaths successful 2020 and 2021, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page, a website that catalogs the deaths of instrumentality enforcement officers.

Police officers successful galore departments person been dilatory to get vaccinated, and respective different cities person issued vaccine oregon investigating mandates. In San Jose, Calif., metropolis leaders decided conscionable arsenic a vaccine mandate was taking effect to let unvaccinated officers to stay employed done the extremity of the year, with incremental subject and investigating requirements.