Chicago FOP President Vows To Fight COVID-19 Mandate In Court

BEVERLY, IL —The Fraternal Order of Police vows to take legal action against Chicago's COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

In a video posted to YouTube, FOP President John Catanzara said Mayor Lori Lightfoot has refused to negotiate the terms of the mandate. As a result, the union president said Wednesday he planned to file a temporary restraining order to "get some relief in the courts."

"The reality is the city acknowledged from the beginning their obligation to bargain in good faith over this subject," Catanzara said in the video. "They have refused. Because they have refused and put a line in the sand said it’s ‘take it or leave it, pretty much, that’s where we’re at."

When asked about Catanzara's comments threatening litigation, Mayor Lightfoot simply responded with "bring it" during at an unrelated news conference Wednesday, the Chicago Tribune reported.

In August, Chicago officials announced that all city employees must be fully vaccinated by Friday, Oct. 15 to minimize the spread of COVID-19.

“The overwhelming majority of hospitalizations and deaths we see from COVID-19 are among the unvaccinated. This vaccine is safe and it works,” said CDPH Commissioner Allison Arwady, M.D. “Getting vaccinated is the best way to protect not only yourself but those around you from COVID-19. I applaud this responsible, common-sense requirement to keep the City’s employees and those they work with safe.”

Employees who fail to report their vaccination status in the city's portal by Friday will be placed in a non-disciplinary, no pay status.

Those who are not fully vaccinated by Friday, including employees who have received an approved medical or religious exemption, must undergo regular COVID-19 testing on a twice weekly basis, with tests separated by 3-4 days.

Meanwhile, Catanzara believes a person's health record is none of the city's business.

"It’s information they should not be entitled to," he said. "I do not believe the city has the authority to mandate that to anybody, let alone that information about your medical history and change the terms of your employment."

He also believes that the city should allow a conscientious exemption, in addition to religious and medical exemptions that are currently permitted.

“It’s very likely the city is going to reject the conscientious exemption because they are not acknowledging it at this point," he said.

In the YouTube video, Catanzara has instructed police officers to not enter their information into the portal.

"Do not fill out the portal information. You are under no obligation to do that other than the city’s demand. Once you do that, we can never get that information back. We have no assurances from the city that is secure what that information is going to entail as far as going forward," he said in the video.

By avoiding the portal, officers will be sent home rather than patrolling the streets on the clock.

"The moment someone goes into a non-pay status, we already have the language drafted for a class action grievance for all members affected," he said. "That will be submitted without delay. Anybody who goes into that non-pay status, we’re asking you to call the lodge, so we can keep track of everybody that is in that status, so we can include them in that class action grievance."

If the city follows through with its mandate, Chicago will see a dramatic decrease in its police force, the FOP president warned.

"If we suspect the numbers are true, and we get a large number of our members to stand firm on their beliefs that this is an overreach, and they’re not going to supply the information in the portal or submit to testing, then it’s safe to say the City of Chicago will have a police force at 50 percent or less for this weekend coming up," Catanzara said.

"That is not because of the FOP. That is 100 percent because of the mayor’s unwillingness to budge from her hard line," he continued. "There’s no way they are going to be able to sustain a police department work force at 50 percent capacity or less for more than seven days without something budging."

The FOP's video message for union members to avoid submitting their information to the portal comes the very same day that former FOP president, Dean Angelo, died of COVID-19.

"It is with deep regret that we inform our members of the passing of past president, Dean Angelo Sr., (2014-2017). We thank him for his service to this union," the FOP posted Tuesday on Facebook.

It also comes one day after the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial announced that 62 percent of law enforcement deaths in 2020 were a result of COVID-19.

FOP President on Chicago's Vaccine Mandate: