In Chicago, police officers are at risk of becoming second-class public servants, as indicated by recent decisions by Mayor Brandon Johnson and the City Council opposing equal arbitration rights. While Johnson's approval of a financially fair police department contract and the selection of a new superintendent hint at positive reforms, his stance against allowing police officers to contest serious misconduct through arbitration undermines their due process rights. All public employees, including police, deserve fair hearings, and this denial could have negative implications for police morale and recruitment.
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.
Both actions could provide a much-needed boost to morale and help improve police retention and recruitment.
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.
This decision is consistent with decisions all over the state for police officers and firefighters who have obtained contract rights to elect to have their discipline cases, termination and suspensions heard by labor arbitrators.
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