A judge on Monday suspended Chicago’s Covid-19 vaccine policy that required all police officers to receive the jab by the year’s end in what’s being described as a “major victory” for police unions.
While Judge Raymond Mitchell ruling doesn’t affect other city workers subject to the mandate, the deadline for police is on hold until complaints can be settled in arbitration.
In the meantime, police officers will need to test regularly for Covid-19 and submit their vaccination status by the Dec. 31 deadline.
While John Catanzara, the head of the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police, has been very vocal about the reporting requirement, the ruling focuses more on the vaccination deadline.
His order brushed aside the union’s complaints about reporting, calling the requirement “a minimal intrusion” that could be remedied later if an arbiter found the requirement violated the city’s contracts with its police officers.
On the vaccine requirement however, the judge said there would be no possible remedy after the mandatory deadline if the policy was ultimately found to violate the collective bargaining agreements.
“If every union member complied and was vaccinated by December 31 … they would have no grievance to pursue and there would be no remedy an arbitrator could award,” the judge wrote in his order. “An award of back pay or reinstatement cannot undo a vaccine. Nothing can.” (WBEZ Chicago)
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said during a news conference on Monday that her office is still looking at the judge’s order.
“Our lawyers are looking at the judge’s ruling and looking at what our legal options are,” she said. “But what I know is we cannot stop, we absolutely cannot stop. This is about saving people’s lives.”