Chicago Dispatchers

The End.

2008-03-07T00:00:00.005-06:00

The time has come to move on. This will officially be the last post on this blog.

I didn't create this blog with the intention of ruining careers...I created it as a place to toss issues around, as an outlet for people to vent, commiserate, bitch, moan, etc... Unfortunately, in recent months, it has become much more than that. It's become a mudfest of sorts.

I created the blog on 08 August 2006, and posted exclusively until 29 September 2007. Over the course of that year, there were several time gaps in posts, because organizing this site & keeping abreast of work issues while away from work are very time consuming.
After the 29Sep post, I gave up. After about a month, a friend asked if she could post a couple of things, and I handed day-to-day management over to her. This began at the end of October, with the coming of "Blogmaster."

The next two months progressed without much strife, but the end of December saw a post that I took serious issue with. It attacked an Operations Floor employee (a white shirt) by name - a tactic I never personally used, and was adamantly against from the first post on 08Aug06. We disagreed, but with the assurance that the posts would be "toned down," Blogmaster continued.

Until the end of February.

The most recent posts have broken the camel's back (yes, I intentionally left out "been the straw that's"). Whether the subjects thereof were true or not, I'm not here to debate. Could be, could be not. But I took SERIOUS issue with the way in which they were presented, and with how harshly they attacked. As I said, I didn't start this blog with the intention of messing with careers (although "Our Fearless Leader" really pushed the envelope). And yet that's what's happened. Messing with careers, violating trust/confidentiality...it's all too much. And especially too much to take blame for posts that I didn't write, which were truly not in the vein through which I wanted to course. And also, especially to have people think that I was the one violating their trust for things I didn't write. I have no problem accepting full responsibility for what I wrote, which was everything up to and including 29Sep07. I can't stand behind, or accept responsibility for, what I didn't write - which was everything thereafter excluding this post.

There's been a lot of talk about who I/we may have been. And some of you were right, most of you were wrong. Some of you were right, but didn't realize that there were two different people, two separate "eras," if you will.

But sadly, those eras are both in the past. The comments sections are now closed, except for this one. And this one will be closely monitored/moderated.

Thank you for the support for the last 1.5 years.

CPDDispatch 1

Investigation, Anyone?

2008-03-05T00:00:00.001-06:00

Blogmaster, like everyone else at oemc, is waiting to see what action the suits will take regarding the allegations surrounding the deputy director of police operations and a certain watch manager, who was an spco at the time of the alleged impropriety. At the very least one would expect a thorough investigation into the matter. Blogmaster sources indicate that at least one senior suit was personally briefed on the allegations last week, but to date, Blogmaster has not heard that a formal investigation is under way and neither the alleged witness nor the other watch manager (the one who was responsible for the pco, not the recently promoted one who is alleged to have done the deed) have been contacted by any oemc suits or any other "investigators". In fact, sources indicate that the evidence--the tampered documents--are still in a secured location having not yet been requested for inspection in conjunction with any investigation. WTF?????

Think about it. If this were a pco (or a low level union worker) accused of such a serious offense--altering an official city document with the aim of affecting a future outcome-it is likely that termination would already be in progess, BEFORE any such investigation commenced. At the very least, pcos would have been put on some type of leave (think Durkin Park; Ronyale White; etc.) while the incident was being investigated. But for the clouted, the connected, the SUITS the rules are different. Another example of the city failing to adhere by its own stated policies and a glaring example of how the rules are applied inconsistently.

Memo to the suits: a comment from the boss--that would be the ED, ruiz himself-- would be appreciated. Even the standard "the matter is under investigation" would be adequate. It would let everyone know that yes, in fact, management IS aware and IS addressing this issue. If management fails to conduct at least a cursory examination of this incident then every single suit on the 4th floor and the corner office is at fault for derelection of duty and neglect. And for future reference dont expect any improvements on the operations floor, any respect, or anything else. Management inaction will have proven that the fix is in, anyone can get away with anything, and no one running the show here cares. But maybe the media would. Maybe a slick investigative reporter would be interested in these allegations, especially if they are part and parcel of a quid pro quo, and are substantiated.

Meaningless Evaluations

2008-03-03T00:00:00.004-06:00

The cat is out of the bag and it would appear that investigations into the deputy director and a certain watch manager are imminent, if not already in progress for alleged improprieties involving at least one pco evaluation. And as any investigation is pending, it might be prudent for the suits to evaluate the evaluations too, and the entire promotional processes, the disciplinary actions, and the lateral movements among pcos that are dependent--in part--upon the evalations. After all, if the alleged accusations are true, one can never be sure that any other evaluations are not tainted or corrupted either.

Blogmaster has long had a myriad of issues with the evaluations. To the extent that they measure anything, its usually the wrong things. Aside from obvious issues like tardiness and attendance, the rest of the evaluation is subjective and dependent upon the evalutor (an spco). For example, how a pco feels about management is irrelevant to whether or not they actually do the job; uniform standards have been so lax for so many years that any evaluation of this is completely meaningless; and since there is not now--nor has there ever been--any minimum benchmark standards for job performance, efficiencies, or set goals for pcos to aspire to the rest of the measures are also meaningless. It is a waste of paper, a waste of time, and wholly dependent upon the whims of the particular spco doing the evaluation. Adding insult to injury is the fact that pcos are routinely made to sign these evaluations but are not entitled to photocopies or duplicates of the final product with signature. WTF?

This last point cannot be emphasized enough and one can draw the obvious conclusion that the reason one is not given a copy of one's own signed evaluation is so that management can later alter any evalution at any time in order to better reflect the goals of the suits. And that raises the next point: promotions.

The promotional processes are now--not for the first time, but with perhaps the most direct evidence brought to light thus far--all in question, again. The last spco promotions, in june 2005, may all be seen to be suspect, as can the most recent promotion to watch manager, and the 4 watch manager promotions before that. And it is unfortunate because some of those promotees really deserved their advances. But for everyone else it becomes much much easier now to see how the back room shenanigans affect everyone else because there are a few spcos who really were questionable promotions given the overall pool of applicants.

Transparancy. It is so missing from this city and from the oemc. It is no wonder that no one has any confidence in the suits.

Say It Ain't So, Ron Part II

2008-03-02T00:05:00.001-06:00

Questions, questions, questions. The deputy director of police operations, now presumably facing an investigation into alleged improprieties surrounding one particular incident, isn't talking. In fact, the deputy director of police operations hasn't been seen in the building since last thursday. Coincidence? Perhaps--it IS a holiday weekend and maybe he just wanted a few extra days off. But maybe not. Maybe the deputy director is smart enough to see the writing on the wall and realized that after this alleged incident his days with oemc are numbered, even before any internal investigation takes place.

Blogmaster wishes the deputy director WOULD talk though, because a whole lot of questions remain. Questions like WHAT ELSE has been going on in the ranks? WHO ELSE has been "assisted" by altered evaluations, phone calls, or other means of protection? WHO ELSE has been harmed by these same methods? Blogmaster has learned that the most recently promoted watch manager--reportedly having NOT had to submit to the traditional promotional processes that the previous 4 watch manager promotees had to submit to--was the very same subordinate who is now at the center of the alleged incident involving the altered evaluation that has put the deputy director on the hot seat. QUID PRO QUO is the term the feds use for these type of deals--rewards for deeds or actions performed for the specific benefit of someone else.

Blogmaster is not really surprised, however, just saddened once again. The new boss IS the old boss albeit a different race and gender.

SPCO Meeting

2008-02-29T00:00:00.007-06:00

The big, mandatory meeting of supervisors is over. It would seem, according to Blogmasters always reliable sources, that the suits are not pleased with present cirmcumstances on the operations floor. As a result, the suits have given orders to the spcos to "enforce" the rules and standards that everyone has acknowledged are sometimes a bit lax. In other words, folks, get ready for the big crackdown in real time. And lest anyone think this is another instance of a particular suit flexing for a moment, Blogmaster has learned that the spcos are not to be personally accountable for their subordinates according to rdos, ie, and have responsiblity for ensuring that each employee is properly uniformed, present and accounted for, and performing the duties of the job as opposed to sleeping, eating, talking on the cell phone or wandering.

Blogmaster has no objection to this in theory: it is what should already be occuring ANYWAY--it is true that the standards on the floor have been low,low, low for a long, long time. However, in times of high stress--current conditions with summer coming and the chronic short staffing that results in overtime, both mandatory and voluntary--some things are admittedly overlooked. Eating and using the cell phone at the console, for example, are not high transgressions when someone is sitting at the console for 7 1/2 or more hours a day, sometimes straight, in an effort to handle the call volume and dispatch jobs (which reflects on the watch manager).

All this tolerance, though, is about to end and its because--allegedly--a few pcos who were granted a private audience with the ed ruiz complained. They complained that the spcos were not doing their jobs, that they were failing in their duties, and that said rules were not being enforced. WTF? So in response to this, the deputy director of police operations who was present at the alleged meeting, felt compelled to make some changes in the name of accountability, hence the assignment of particular employees to particular spcos by rdo. It is about accountability, as they say. Be prepared, folks, for an influx of warnings about uniforms, smoke breaks, eating, and reading on the consoles. Be prepared, folks, for that day when breaks and lunches are cancelled and an spco comes over and tell an employees that their uniform shirt is untucked or to put away the puzzles. And to the union folks, be prepared for the influx of complaints about how such and such spco is picking on so and so, or nitpicking, or personally harassing someone for being ____ (insert race, gender etc).

In the interest of heading off any complaints, Blogmaster warns everyone, including the spcos to get the game on, use common sense, and band together. Don't say Blogmaster didn't warn everyone.

Say It Ain't So, Ron

2008-02-29T00:00:00.006-06:00

The fix is in. Blogmaster can now say that the deputy director of police operations is in a trick bag of his own making, caught red handed in the middle of a dirty deed, with witnesses. Even with the feds sniffing around and the federal monitor all over the city personnel department, it appears that the deputy director is secure enough, or besotted enoough, to have given orders to an immediate subordinate to alter the evaluation (meaningless under any cirmcumstances)of a pco in order to make said pco more "promotible". WTF? Apparently, Blogmaster has learned, the ORIGINAL evaluation of pco was less than outstanding and, as a result, the deputy director ordered his subordinate to change said evaluation AFTER it was signed by the watch manager and without that watch managers knowledge. The subordinate, apparently having failed discretion 101, followed orders to a T. The only problem with this little scheme is that it was witnessed by others, a big no no when someone tries to do something undercover, sneaky, or corrupt. As a result, the deputy director is on the hot seat. As for the subordinate who actually did the dirty deed, Blogmaster can only hope that a fair and impartial investigation will determine the appropriate course of action.

Memo to deputy director of police operations: what were you thinking? You "campaigned" on a platform of change, yet not much is different. You have acted quite similar to your non beloved predecessor who acheived neither respect or affection from underlings. You have flip flopped on issues, you have participated in the corruption of the chain of command, and you have used your position for the gain and detriment of your underlings--actions that you swore were beneath you, yet here you are in the midst of allegations of favoritism and nepotism. Blogaster wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt, but at this point it just seem as if you are another suit, intoxicated with power. It is a very sad day at oemc. Very sad day, indeed, especially as this comes from someone we had such high hopes for.

Report Card

2008-02-26T00:00:00.003-06:00

Hope springs eternal at oemc. Even when all evidence suggests its a lost cause, Blogmaster continues to long for that day--in the not too distant future--when oemc finally turns the corner and becomes a model of best practices, efficacy, and is run by competent and qualified suits...........

However, for the present and recent past, oemc is mired in incompetence. The present suits, apparently having learned nothing from their predecessors--all of whom were roundly and justifiably criticized for a variety of reasons by the operations floor personnel, have amply demonstrated their own incompetence in a variety of ways. "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss" as the old saying goes. Certainly it applies in this case.

The ED, allegedly a union guy himself and formerly "all around nice guy", appears to be in way over his head. The press conferences where he appears hopelessly lost, the deer in the headlights look, the arrogance combined with a profound ignorance of how the communications and operations aspect of oemc operate make for an all around cluelessness for which there is no compensation. Unlike Trotter with his politicians charisma, huberman with his undisputed brilliance, or velasquez who at times displayed a disarming and unexpected boyish charm, this ed has nothing to recommend him. Even so, Blogmaster had reserved judgement hoping to see what he could accomplish. The verdict is now in and it ain't good. A review of the record of this particular ed undistinguished reign thus far:

--failure to get additional staffing for 911 operations, even while the jobs are posted for "homeland security" and camera related positions at the oemc. The official city position is that there is no staffing shortage for operations and it doesn't even appear that anyone from oemc is privately lobbying city hall for additional staff (Blogmasters sources are very adamant on this point).

--turf wars and petty infighting have characterized this regime with the chain of command being corrupted. One good example of the recent edict, then the rescinsion, then the reimplementaion of the B clause even after the oemcs number 2 (allegedly) guy negotiated an agreement with the union. WTF? If HE didnt have the "authority" to make such an agreement with the union, then maybe he ought not to be the second in command and the ed himself should deign to speak a bit more with the union about its issues.

--continued discontent, strife, and general unhappiness among the managerial ranks which is a direct result of the top level managment style. A general unwillingness to listen to and address spco concerns. A renegade watch manager who has embarrassed the regime by officially deviating from the company line and caused untold havoc on a particular watch. A deputy director of police operations who is at odds with his watch managers and who apparently retaliated against an spco for unsubstantiated allegations and who has directed his subordinates on at least one occasion to perform unethical, perhaps illegal, actions on behalf of a pco.

These are real issues that are occurring in real time and this is only a cursory overview. The everyday decisions that are made by the suits have real implications for their subordinates, sometimes in unforseen ways. Every time a suit takes an action, or fails to take an action, it affect every employee. That is why the person at the top is so important--if he or she is ethically, morally, or otherwise challenged everything else will be tainted too.

Supervisor Shuffle

2008-02-24T00:00:00.000-06:00

It is February. Not yet the busy time of the year, yet management has determined that the 2nd watch is short a supervisor, an odd conclusion during this time of the year and with the current distribution of spcos throughout the watches. As a result, a 3rd watch spco is being reassigned to the 2nd watch, while a 1st watch spco is being transferred to the 3rd watch. Officially, the reason is "operational needs".

This would be unremarkable, in and of itself, except that the spco being assigned to days is going under duress. That is right, said supervisor allegedly does not want to be reassigned while the spco going to 3rd watch from 1st watch is said to be happy about the move. Unofficially, Blogmaster has learned the reasons for such moves are more complicated--and much more disturbing--than simple manpower needs. This move has personal overtones and appears to be a personal attack on said supervisor. The spco going to days has been the subject of some very specific--and completely unsubstantiated--allegations of a very personal nature. As a result, management has apparently over reacted and decided to move said spco to a different watch. To make it appear more legitimate, management has also moved the second spco from 1st to 3rd watch. Management did not solicit volunteers for such moves and the spco going to days is apparantly not even the least senior spco on afternoons. It is convenient that management discovered their shortage on days at the exact same time these allegations surfaced.

This little drama has huge implications for every employee at oemc. The supervisors are unionized teamsters--albeit without a contract. They are city employees and entitled to due process, fair and impartial investigations into any allegations, and to enjoy current standing while any such investigations are taking place. This is a blatant example of the city failing to follow its own polices and procedures and of tossing its employees into the wind simply because of an unsubstantiated allegation. Memo to pcos--be careful because if the suits can do it to them, they can do it us. Memo to the suits--next time try not to be so obvious and please at least make a show of supporting your employees by waiting to pass judgement until any investigations are completed.

FINAL NOTE: the city is again appealing the unionization for spco ruling. More to come on that in a later post

Disarray on Days

2008-02-20T00:00:00.003-06:00

What is going on with the 2nd watch? The watch manager, a relatively recent appointment and the least senior titleholder of that rank, appears to be running amok. No sooner was this watch manager assigned to a permanent watch (at the expense of a more seasoned watch manager who has been relegated to the relief position) did the wm begin with changes to long established 2nd watch practices. Long established practices that actually worked for that watch which is comprised primarily of old timers and long time veterans who for the most part know the job, know eachother, and know whats up.

But apparently this new wm felt the need to shake things up a bit, which is not necessarily a bad thing if it ultimately results in some positive changes for most everyone. However, that does not appear to be the case here as most of the changes that have been instituted have resulted only in demoralizing the workforce and creating instability on the floor. Hiring pcos back for overtime for only 2 hours on rdos (not worth the time, effort, or gas to bother coming down for), meddling with the assignment sheets, and soliciting day off group changes from partners on zones/citywides are a few examples. Rotating calltakers from their long time regular consoles while stating that calltakers "have to earn their spot" and pushing "efficiencies" (such efficiences have never been defined)front and center are more examples of the petty politicking taking place on this watch. But perhaps the most egregious is the wm attempts to implement change on days was to curtail furloughs via wholesale denials of the 5 day extensions that have been enjoyed by pcos for years. WTF??

Thankfully, someone on high had the good sense to reign in this wm on that last point and rescind that edict, but for the most part the rest of these attempts to change the watch are going unchecked. And to what end? It isn't clear what the wm is hoping to achieve by these methods and no objectives for doing them were ever clearly articulated. Sure there were some issues on days, but for the most part, it works and the day watch did not need to be "saved", "rescued" or "cleaned up". From the point of view of the working stiffs (read pcos) subject to these things, it looks like a clear case of ego and power tripping. Payback even to some pcos for slights--real or imagined--in years past. Recall one of the first, and best, tenets of good management: just because one can do something does not mean one should do something. Big, big difference.

And memo to the suits, if any read this: next time a wm, any of them, attempt to implement wholesale change to established past practices, ala the furlough extension memo that went into the co book and was later rescinded, it would be save alot of embarrassement, backtracking, and confusion if such changes were consistent among all watches and applied equally to everyone. Memo to the 2nd watch manager, if this is being read: renegading at the expense of the pcos on this watch will not win you brownie points with superiors or subordinates. The problems at oemc were not created by the wm and they will not be solved by the wm, however good are the intentions. There is a reason that the 2nd watch wm predecessors did not do the things that are being attempted now and perhaps some reflection on that would be beneficial.

Privatization Effect

2008-02-19T00:00:00.002-06:00

There seems to be no end in sight to the city privatization plans. The chicago skyway, parking garages, and other city assets have all gone private in recent years. City services--everything from custodial duties to security at city facilites--have slowly been outsourced, privatized, or phased out. During the privatization era the city has estimated to have shed thousands of jobs and saved millions of taxpayer dollars. The latest assets on the block are the parking meters and potentially the biggest asset ever privatized: midway airport.

This latest effort at privatization ought to make oemc employees sit up and take notice--all of the employees. It is no secret that the city sold off the equipment at oemc a long time ago in a lease back deal and Blogmaster cannot even be sure that the city retains rights to either the actual building itself or any of the technology contained within (Blogmasters sources indicate that its a combination of complex public/private partnerships between the city, motorola, sbc, and a few other entities). The only thing that the city retains a 100% vested interest in, according to said sources, is the personnel. And that can change at any time, if the midway deal flies.

That is because midway airport presently retains approximately 200 city jobs, several of which are aviation communications operators (acos). These acos are essentially dispatchers and calltakers, are currently part of the oemc, and are covered by ibew local 21 unit 2 in bargaining, must abide by the same contract, and are paid grade 13--the same as pcoIs. In short, they ARE us, albeit at a different location and doing the exact same work in different circumstances.

The city has publicly stated that under any such deal all midway city employees would receive "substantially similar" jobs at comparable pay while maintenance and emergency services (police and fire only) would remain the same. In other words, folks, the midway dispatch operations appear to be going private. Blogmasters sources advise that existing acos at midway will likely be transferred to ohare if they so choose or be forced to reapply for their jobs with a new entity if they stay and not necessarily be given any hiring preferences in an open pool of applicants.

If this little experiment at Midway proves successful and public safety does not appear to be compromised, can the pco privatization be far behind? After all, oemc pcos are some of the highest paying non supervisory, non management civilian positions to be found anywhere on the city payroll. And no college required (not yet anyway). And if the pcos are phased out--say to privatization at some later date--there would be no need for spcos, operations watch managers, the deputy director of police, and other support staff and on and on and on. The building itself could be turned completely over to the homeland security faction while 911 operations are moved offsite under private ownership. Using camera, satellite, and other highly developed technology it is not inconceivable that police dispatch could be conducted in the suburbs, downstate, or even abroad. It would be outsourcing at its best and daley appears to be the trailblazer in this regard. And so it goes.

Fear Factor

2008-02-18T00:00:00.001-06:00

It is February. Call volume is down as it generally is at this time of the year and theoretically it’s the time of the year for operations floor employees to slow down, take a breather from the holidays and regroup before it gets busy again as the weather warms up. The lull before the storm, as the saying goes. Except that there is no lull this year and there hasn’t been for the past several years. The lighter workload hasn’t translated into more downtime, more relaxed employees, or better morale. Instead it has brought new elements to oemc: fear and to a lesser extent, instability.

At the very lowest levels (pcos)this fear permeates the oemc and results from the lack of leadership on the 4th floor and in the corner offices. This is because the suits have resorted to dealing with any issues on the operations floor by overreacting (attempts to curtail furloughs extensions, canceling rdos around certain events/holidays etc.)and by imposing heavy handed discipline in response to any citizen complaints--without regard to the contract, due process, facts, circumstances, or a pcos work history. This is the result of being governed by political hacks without, in most cases, even the most fundamental knowledge or the understanding of communications and the day to day operations within oemc.

The fear manifests itself in a myriad of ways. Fear that one can or will lose his or her job for not sending the police on every call, even when something is not a police matter. Fear that questioning a caller too much will result in a complaint from a juiced up citizen and lead to discipline. Fear that calling in sick one day too often will result in a few days suspension. Fear that ones time due will be denied, or that a rule that was interpreted one way last week will suddenly be another way this week. In short, pcos are often afraid. In certain circumstances, fear may be a good way to operate in the short term--fear can sometimes impose a grudging respect upon the fearful, but in the long term it wears down morale, sends inconsistent messages as to whether the city follows its OWN policies and procedures, stifles creativity/flexibility/innovation, and fosters negative attitudes toward all aspects of the job. In terms of the job, the end result is that pcos have lost all discretion as to what types of calls should be processed and what calls should be redirected or dismissed as non police/cfd matters. That means, dear reader, that even prank calls, calls that are likely bogus, and children playing are processed by calltakers and dispatched by the pcoIIs. In terms of the working environment, this fear leads to lowered morale, increased divisions within the ranks, and unfavorable perceptions of management--perceptions which may never be overcome.

The instability within the oemce results from the transient nature of the suits, the petty little turf wars, and the meddling into day to day operations by outsiders. Suits who expect to use oemc as a launchpad to bigger and better (maybe) gigs; suits who use the pcos and operations floor as their pawns for political payback of their rivals (it happens); and interference from city hall or the 4th floor into things like day off group assignments, details, or watch selections. Perhaps its a sign of how dated Blogmaster really is but there was a day--in the not too distant past--where these things were not issues and when operations were comprised of a tight knit professional civilian group who knew their jobs very well. And their bosses knew they knew it too. And those bosses appreciated it. No longer. Welcome to the 21st century.

Funches Fire

2008-02-15T00:00:00.004-06:00

As noted, Blogmaster occasionally responds to reader comments left in the post sections. The Funches fire, which occurred in the 11 pm hour of 24 September 2004, left the reverand funches 3 children, plus a fourth child, dead. The reverand and his wife were not home at the time and the fire appears to have been ruled accidental. A tragic, unfortunate occurance for which Blogmaster and many others were very sorry about. Many of us attended the funerals and donated to the funches memorial fund set up at US bank, even though the finger pointing had already begun and settled on oemc. And unlike many in the community, and outside of it, few of us questioned the circumstances in which those children were alone in the house without their parents at that time of the night.

That is because almost immediately after the fire, the blame game started. According to published reports, several witnesses claim to have called 911 about the fire, only to be laughed at, hung up upon, or left hanging because no operator ever answered. The city, investigating such claims, has publicly identified 19 incoming 911 calls regarding the fire beginning at 11:25pm and ending at 11:27 pm. City records allegedly indicate that cfd was on the scene of the fire within 3 minutes of receiving the first call. An official city inquiry into the funches claims of non response indicate that one call, handled by an oemc fire calltaker, was not properly processed and that said calltaker did indeed hang up on caller, classifying that call as a child prank. The calltaker was put on paid administrative leave and the city has contended that because the improperly processed call was the THIRD call about the fire, cfd had already been dispatched and that this particular call had no bearing on response time. As a result of these allegations, and other purported evidence, the funches retained counsel and sued the city. Blogmasters sources reveal that several former and present oemc/city suits were deposed, interviewed, and/or subpoenaed regarding this incident, including ibew local 21 business agent jerry rankins

The recap of these events now bring Blogmaster back to our dear reader and Blogmasters direct response to comments left in the post. Blogmaster is sure that the reader did not attempt a blanket indictment of the calltakers and dispatchers at oemc and honestly, Blogmaster believes it is a stretch for ANYONE to claim that the children died "as a result of poor staffing within the oemc and overworked, overstressed calltakers and dispatchers". The children died as a result of an accidental fire in their house, period, the cause of which cannot by any stetch of the imagination be linked back to oemc. However, dear reader, the point about understaffing is a valid one and it deserves to be addressed, especially because this site and other sources directly associated with oemc have been crying mismanagement and understaffing for a long, long time.

Cameras, Cameras, Cameras

2008-02-12T00:00:00.003-06:00

"In the thousands" That, a direct quote from oemc ed Tony Ruiz, as published in the Chicago Tribune editorial on sunday 10 feb 2008, when asked how many cameras are monitoring the city. Of course he would not be more specific when pressed, and the editorial goes on to point out that citizens and alderman have demanded immediate replacements for their cameras when they go out of service for repairs or upgrades. The piece also states that "chicagos system (cameras) is open to inspection by visitors at the city's 911 center on West Madison Street."

Really? Really? And really? The editorial concludes that because such cameras are not physically intrusive the public has largely accepted them (and they have withstood certain court challenges) while "early fears of Orwellian spying have evidently dwindled". Well that is a pretty stunning conclusion, actually, and coming from the editorial pages of chicago's more conservative paper not wholly unexpected. But is it true? And if the more reputable of the two major papers actually ENDORSES the camera use, it just gives king daley--and his dukes, earls, and barons--more support for diverting city resources away from other areas and into the camera business. That means more jobs, more contracts, and more patronage most all of it secret.

First, it is an open question as to whether the majority of the citizens and taxpayers are aware to the extent of the camera network-certainly even many of the employees on madison street don't even have any idea and apparently the ed isn't talking. Thousands? That is a lot of cameras folks. Watching everything from "potential terror targets", cta and cha property, open air drug markets, and traffic intersections. It remains to be seen, as the editorial points out, whether the cameras actually do anything to prevent or solve crime and apparently no one is even asking those questions anymore. To date, there doesn't seem to be any widespread, independently credible, evaluation of the camera program--no cost/benefit analysis, no studies proving camera x or y solved a crime, and no evidence that a terrorist attack was thwarted due to the cameras. Really, the biggest acheivement that can be attributed to any camera program is plugging a $20 million hole in the citys budget (thanks to the traffic cameras).

But why let a small thing like efficacy get in the way of another government program funded by the taxpayers (remember even federal and homeland security money is taxpayers). OF COURSE the alderman and city suits like the cameras--it allows them to claim they are doing SOMETHING without having to do ANYTHING. It also provides citizens with a false sense of security, those that are not smart enough to know better. More smoke and mirrors, folks.

As for the papers assertion that the 911 system is open for visitors, Blogmaster hopes they erred; last we checked the oemc was SUPPOSED to be a closed, secure facility. But come to think of it, "open to inspection" might explain why the parking lot is still full of unauthorized cars and the building has an influx of people walking around there in civilain clothes.

Lane Bryant Murders

2008-02-12T00:00:00.002-06:00

"911 CALL ENRAGED GUNMAN AT LANE BRYANT STORE" So goes the front page headline in the Daily Southtown Star of saturday, 09 Februrary 2008. Thus far, police are still describing the horrible murders of 5 women at a lane bryant store in tinley park as a "botched robbery" and as of this writing, no one is in custody.

The headline, only a small part of a very sad story, is telling. As the paper writes, "Mcfarland (one of the victims) was able to get to her cell phone and call police, the killer heard the dispatchers voice. THe irate gunman then began opening fire on the prone women". Though it is not explicitly stated, the implication leads one to believe that the dispatcher actually HEARD these murders in real time. Published reports indicate that responding police were on scene within minutes, but not quickly enough to save any of the deceased victims nor catch the killer.

Stories like this bring home again the perilous nature of the work that is done on a daily basis at oemc and emergency call centers all over the country. Although rare, such calls do happen (Blogmaster can recall several in chicago over the years, including live suicides, females being killed by their men, people shot, and tragedies like E2 and the high rise fire at 69 w washington. Recall the call center employee who received the call from hijacked flight 93 on 11 sept 2001.) Certain calls that captured murder and death live on audio and it is not pretty, glamorous, or exciting. One never knows if the NEXT call they take will be the one that results in real tragedy for someone and leaves the calltaker feeling totally helpless because there is nothing--nothing--that can be done at that moment other than possibly providing aid and comfort to the victim if the circumstances allow. Even the responding field units are not often given such up close and personal portraits of a victims last seconds and believe it, these are the types of calls that stay with one forever.

The pcos at oemc, fortunately, never lose sight of the importance of the work that is done there even when the suits treat the agency like a cash cow, a dumping ground for hacks, and fail to understand or appreciate what it can be like dealing with the public day in day out.

To the 5 victims of this tragedy, RIP. Blogmasters thoughts and prayers are with the families and with the police officers and agencies working the case.

Furlough Extensions

2008-02-11T00:00:00.003-06:00

Here we go again. The last time it was the power watches that were eliminated; the time before that it was revamping (and not for the betterment of the EMPLOYEES) of the established 6 day work week; the time before that it was limiting full period furlough segments, even if and when individual segments in a particular period were still available; the time before that was severely curtailing furlough segments in the 7, 8, and 13 periods; the time before THAT it was furlough selections by watch, rather than by straight time in title.............

Blogmaster refers to, of course, managements attempts--once again-to address the staffing shortage at oemc on the backs of the existing pcos. Of course, we all know that the elimination of the power watches and complete period furlough segments was a complete failure (thanks MK)and have since been reinstated. Ditto the pathetic attempts at an alternate workweek schedule (note to future suits who attempt to take this on again-and it is only a matter of time--that when one contemplates eliminating the less than ideal current structure, it is usually prudent to replace it with something equal or better than what is currently enjoyed). But the one area that management has enjoyed some success--from a manpower standpoint--is tampering with furloughs. Hence the new edict from kb.

The memo in the co book, dated 09 February 2008 and signed by the wm unilaterally denies furlough extensions to every member of the 2nd watch without "mitigating circumstances". Effective immediately, all such furlough extensions must be pre approved and all such requests for extensions must be submitted via to/from 14 days in advance. WTF???????????? 14 days in advance?? This from bosses who routinely fail to advise pcos whether their requests for comp time due have been granted until the day prior, sometimes the DAY OF. This, from the same wm who contacted a pco AT HOME, by telephone, to advise said employee that pcos 5 day furlough extension--that had already begun by the way--had only been approved for 4 days and that said pco would have to report for work on a certain day that fell in the MIDDLE of the furlough extension? THIS is the best that can be done on the 2ND WATCH no less? Adding insult to injury is the blatant fact--penned in her own memo--stating that this is a result of "manpower shortages". In short, WE have to pay for their mismanagement and continual under resourcing.

Don't be fooled folks. It is another determined effort by the suits to fix a problem that really has only one solution: more staffing--hiring more pcos to bring the oemc up to minimal staffing levels. But every executive director since trotter--huberman, velaszquez, and the in-way over-his head ruiz--have been unable to sufficiently make the case to the powers that be at city hall that we need more staff. Instead each suit tows the city line and allows his (and really, we haven't ever had a "her") minions to shill out the company spin about how no, really, we have enough people and we are currently staffed at adequate strength and yada yada yada. Staffed adequately enough to watch the remaining pcoIIIs, 3 or 4 of the old time spcos, and many of the old time coppers marched right out of the building and never replaced. Staffed adequately enough to continue to allow 20+ current pcos to work detailed off the floor in non operational capacity while every other pco picks up the slack. Staffed adequately enough to handle "any contingencies". PLEASE.

Blogmaster predicts this too will go by the wayside, but unfortunately, not before enough people are really harmed by it. One of the perks of this job--the few, very few perks--is furlough. Even newbies with the minimum number of vacation days can stack up pretty decent time off through combinations of rdo, v days, and comp time. If it were not so serious, it would be funny.

Priorities and Policy

2008-02-09T00:00:00.001-06:00

Smoke and mirrors. That is an apt description of the city's approach to police work, homeland security, and emergency operations, despite the best efforts of the men and women who actually do the dirty work known generically as "public safety". In chicago, emergency operations are critically under resourced and woefully mismanaged. Yet the spin that comes from city hall, madison street, and headquarters appears to provide citizens with inflated expectations and unrealistic notions about what the city, oemc, and cpd can actually provide during times of crisis, collectively or to one's immediate well being at any given time.

The oemc/cpd "priority" system for processing 911 calls and categorizing by them in order of importance is an integral part of the smoke and mirror phenomenon. Of necessity, incoming calls are assigned a "priority" to determine the order in which they will be dispatched for servicing by a field unit. These priorities are predetermined by criteria set forth by cpd and stress preserving life over property and the maintenance of public order/safety. The priority system exists, of course, because there are simply not enough field units to respond to every single call for service immediately. As a result, alot of people just have to wait and herein lies the problem: no one wants to wait. In fact, almost nobody ever believes that their call is not the most urgent, most important call anyone took all year.

And believe it, folks, calltakers have heard it all: "I pay taxes" "I pay your salary" "the police station is right around the corner" "what do I have to be dead for you to come?" "oh after someone is killed are you gonna show up?" "I bet you would come if we were ____" (insert race, gender, neighborhood). This type of animosity, Blogmaster believes is partly the result of the aforementioned spin coming from these agencies that do nothing--NOTHING--to lessen the expectations of callers. Everyone it seems, is entitled to cpd right now. Beat meetings, community forums, and other public events promote this misguided notion by reinforcing the idea of calling 911 for everything and pass the buck between agencies (cpd blames oemc; oemc blames cpd; cfd, s&s, cta are all at fault for this or for that etc.) but never stating the obvious fact that high demand for services far exceeds the ability to provide services. And Blogmaster would bet the average citizen in this city has no idea--none--how their calls are processed and prioritized.

The suits have this game down to a science. Promise everything to everyone all the time, sound credible and look good while saying it, and then blame everyone else when the pyramid crumbles. Divert the money--millions and millions of dollars--which COULD provide additional resources. Provide jobs and contracts for friends and cronies, most of whom are not qualified, and line one's own pockets via kickbacks and under the table deals. Smoke and mirrors folks.

3 in 1 hodgepodge

2008-02-06T00:00:00.001-06:00

Memo to chicago city council re "alleged cop set up costs city 195k" as reported in chicago sun times 05 Feb 08: Please. Please. Please. Just because it is not your money does not give you all the right to toss it to any joe shmo. If you, the city council finance committee, have issues with the alleged "victim" of police misconduct how about refusing to approve the payout? How about saying NO? How about sending it back to corporation counsel for a full explanation and further investigation? You, dear finance committee, have just set another precedent for lying phonies to claim anything for a buck and receive a payout (which by the way, is about equivalent to the starting salaries for 4 rookie police officers) with no proof. In so doing, you have removed the burden of proof from the claimant and simply taken the easy way out by approving said settlement with no conditions or explanation. Shame on you for not having the guts or the backbone for refusing this shameful case and just rubber stamping it.

Memo to the dear reader (taxpayer) expressing frustration and incredulousness at the overtime: Blogmaster feels your pain. Really. As a taxpayer, resident, and citizen Blogmaster is incensed at ANY inefficiencies operating in city agencies. Sadly, however, that is more the rule than the exception and it's even more sad that the public and the employees accept inferority and mediocraty as normal. But the reality, at oemc anyway, is that we have enough hard working, good, really dedicated pcos who pick up the slack. If its you, your family, or a friend, your calls DO get answered and are serviced, even the stupid ones. The ones about the barking dogs, the teens congregating on the street, the cars running the stop signs--even when you and they wish to be anonymous and when WE all know you have almost no chance of actually seeing cpd. It says alot more about how well the oemc is run IN SPITE OF the suits not because of them.

Memo to spcos: Hang in there and hang tough during your negotiations and force the city to respect you. You have a lot of support from the rank and file here--we understand you are only one layer above us in the dung heap. And while we have issues--many issues--with the suits and with management, we by and large respect you
(mostly) and dont blame you for this messy morass. We appreciate the fact that you have no incentive, no support, and no inspiration from YOUR bosses--we know because we feel exactly the same way. Good luck to you.

Overtime, Part II

2008-02-05T00:00:00.003-06:00

"within the next 3-5 years, we may experience a large retirement of senior staff members....staffing shortages on watches have created the need for a lot of overtime, exension of tours, and cancellation of time due requests. Personnel are accumulating alot of time due that cannot be used and that is creating a long term liability for the city. As more overtime is assigned and more time due is cancelled, sick days increase and morale goes down. Employee burnout looms on the horizon"

Sound familiar? That is a verbatim quote taken from the executive summary of the OEMC Task Force Report, dated October 1998. Yet it could describe the oemc of 2008 just as easily, because NOTHING HAS CHANGED. The primary problem at oemc, the chronic, underlying problem is a critical staffing shortage that is likely to get worse--much worse--before it ever gets better as pcoIs retire after having done the requisite amount of time in the new pay grade.

And that is the real story folks--the staffing shortage. Yet it just won't die. Cltv and the other media outlets have picked up on the overtime story published in the Chicago Sun Times that highlights the fact that 237 employees have made in excess of $10,000 in overtime in 2007, all the while ignoring the implications and the bigger picture here. And that is twofold: 1)the oemc is woefully under resourced and mismanaged which results in this type of overtime at great, great cost to taxpayers and 2) the city has willfully and deliberately ignored most of its own recommendations with regard to the operations of the oemc as identified as long ago as 1998. The more things change, the more things stay the same.

Overtime and the B Clause

2008-02-05T00:00:00.002-06:00

It's back. The B clause has officially been reinstated and will be implemented effective 05 February, despite management's previous commitment to honor its side agreement with the union that was settled to by one of its own suits--see previous posts. And once again, this reinstatement was done on the sly, with no warning to spcos, operations personnel, or the union that it was coming.

This is another example of the general untrustworthiness of the city and the suits at oemc, an agency run mostly by folks with no integrity and who are for the most part clueless about operations. Blogmaster senses this is a reactionary movement on their part to deflect criticisms about overtime that were published in the Chicago Sun Times on 04 February. It is no coincidence that the same day it is publicly reported that overtime exceeds $10,000 for 237 operations floor employees the city responds by reintroducing the B clause in a pathetic attempt to save a few bucks.

Of course the suits cannot simply admit they are actually under resourced, under staffed, and occasionaly incompetent, despite that being exactly the case apparent to every single spco and pco on the floor. Instead, watch the spin that will be coming out of oemc as the suits will blame SOMETHING--not themselves or the suits downtown for FAILING to adequately staff--for the astronomical overtime. It will ultimately be the fault of the union and the contract. It will be because the city has to abide by the contract that allows the most senior pcos to rack up overtime and does not give the oemc any flexibility with regard to how overtime is hired back or whom it is alloted to. In this way, the suits will be able to deflect the real issue from lack of staffing to the union as everyone in the media gets all worked up about city employees making in excess of 100k annually. Blah, Blah, Blah.

Don't fall for it. Blogmaster is tired of this game too, the blame game that puts all of the oemc problems on the operations floor (pcos who "hold" jobs for dispatch; pcos on the medical; pcos who don't take enough calls; spcos who don't nitpick about the small stuff; spcos who don't browbeat the pcos) and not enough back onto the suits for abrogating their responsibilities to their employees, the citizens, and the taxpayers. It is the suits who are in a position to request more staffing (and have the data to prove it); it's the suits who are ignorant of day to day operations and how they impact employees; it's the suits who are unfamiliar with the union contract and often disregard precedent, policy and procedure; and it is the suits who excel at hiding oemcs problem within the confines of madison steet.

SPCO Promotions

2008-02-04T00:00:00.000-06:00

Unofficially, the word is that promotions to spco will occur sometime before autumn, with the process set to begin sometime around May. While Blogmasters sources are mum about the exact dates, it will likely be a relatively quick process once the formalities start. Blogmaster suspects this is because the next round of promotions has already been pretty much decided, before a single interview is ever conducted. Not unlike the last time when several qualified pcoIIs were bypassed in favor of a few blatantly less qualified pcoIIs.

The challenge for management, this time around, is finding a way to justify their spco hires in a climate controlled by federal monitors, inspector generals, and much savvier pcoIIs. Blogmaster would hope the city has learned its lessons, but the cynic is us invariably doubts it, and expects any promotions this time around to include paybacks for previous favors, insurance and assurances for future favors, and a continuation of the current power struggles among the suits at oemc ("my candidate vs your candidate").

Because ultimately no one--NO ONE--believes its about the best people for the job. There is not now, nor has there ever been, a clear path for promotion or an identifiable career ladder for pcos. There have been no efforts made for current spcos, or other suits, to mentor, groom, or prepare pcos for promotion. Indeed, the suits have kept mum about the results of the last promotions with regard to test scores, interview rankings, and other feedback, declining to allow any pcoII to review or discuss their past performance with personnel or members of the interview panel--a clear slap in the face for any pcoII wondering how he/she fell short or how to improve for the next time. It is all a big secret that is no secret at all.

Blogmaster predicts that when the time comes, those interested in promoting will see a dummy interview panel set up, similar to the previous one, with the strings being pulled from on high. Look for the most gullible suits to be seated on the panel and watch while they pretend to interview each candidate with objectivity. And because this is the city, Blogmaster can bet that at least some of the pcoIIs will be secretly prepped beforehand on exactly how to perform on any and all portions of the promotional process so that they can ace through it. Because it isn't like we all don't KNOW one another already, don't know what our strengths and weaknesses are, and what we are all capable of and who really knows the job and who does not. We already seen this movie, folks, and it stunk the previous times too.

Jody, Jody, Jody

2008-02-02T00:00:00.000-06:00

Blogmaster welcomes new superintendant Jody P. Weiss to his new duties which officially began this weekend after he was sworn in. And although this is not the first time Blogmaster has written about the new sup, its time to reiterate some of our hopes for the new titular head of emergency communications which encompass oemc.

Staff--oemc desperately needs more pcos to man day to day operations. And we are not talking about excessive staffing here, only enough to maintain MINIMAL operational needs without an over reliance on overtime, especially mandatory overtime which everyone knows will increase as soon as the weather warms up.

Training, and integrated operations--pcos need increased and better training in a variety of areas, including handling potential terrorist/natural calamity incidents on the phones. Also its about time someone seriously addressed the outdated and antiquated way that cpd/cfd split up the 911 calls. Is it really the most efficient--and in the best interest of callers (read taxpayers)--method to process a request for an ambulance by tying up 2 highly paid calltakers on one call? And how about reopening the lines of communication between oemc and cpd so that each agency has some input when certain of its actions effect eachother?

Morale--Blogmaster understands that the new sup is rightfully focused on the primary mission of cpd, but its prudent to factor oemc into certain strategic and operational decisions, and this would include thinking carefully about employee movements at the higher levels. Placing new suits into the chain of command, creating new positions, or changing the business as usual model at oemc in order to affect changes down the ranks.

Blogmaster hopes that whatever positive changes the new sup brings to cpd will spill over into oemc, because we sure do need something different.

Blogmaster Responds

2008-02-01T00:00:00.000-06:00

It isn't often that Blogmaster responds to postings that were left in response to the commentary. However, it appears that Blogmaster struck a nerve with at least one reader who felt compelled to reply to the post about the training division.

First, dear reader, please go back and reread said post carefully. Blogmaster is not now, nor then, diparaging the pcos or the spco assigned to the training division--its not about them. The issue itself transcends any one detailed person and most reasonable people understand that. Awards, citations, certificates, et al, are admirable, but are by no means confined to those pcos serving in those posts. There are many, many pcos who have racked up files of paper for services rendered. And many more who deserve to but simply haven't had the good fortune to be recognized. The cynics out there might even point out that recognition in the form of an award--for simply doing one's job well--is meaningless. And while Blogmaster has no problem with those particular folks in the training division--most ops employees don't have a problem with them--it would be nice just the same to see the pcos back on the floor occasionally working (this goes for other detailed positions as well). But Blogmaster understands this is a management decision and not up to them.

Regarding the training notices, sops, directives, etc, the reader again misses the point. If there is no input from training--the people who know the job intimately--then it is questionable as to where operational information is derived from, because it doesn't come from the pcos or the spcos on the floor in any formal way. It is like the union--the stewards represent the floor (for good or bad)--and the union relies on them for decision making and operational decisions. The training division is supposed to function in the same way in a healthy agency and Blogmaster would HOPE this is the way its done here. But maybe not with all the dysfunctions.

Public education and infomation is the responsibility of the agency. Blogmaster appreciates and concurs with the readers suggestion of attending beat meetings and community affairs--anything helps. But ultimately its not up to individuals--who by the way are NOT authorized to speak officially for the oemc--to do this. Blogmaster does not want some of the less seasoned, less than stellar pcos out there giving information out to the public anyway. The training division--with all its highly decorated, knowledgeable veterans--is the best "face" for oemc. Think about it because it is EXACTLY what the mission of the division ought to be (in part).

Roll call training is necessary and welcome, if there are legitimate issues. Again, its not about the TRAINERS, it is more about the topics--what is the point in having an SOP on calltaking courtesy, controlling the conversation, or providing service when the city blatantly disregards its own policies (suspensions to prove it)--and the issues surrounding whatever the topic at hand is. Seriously, if the trainers cannot handle a bit of rancor in roll call presenations--the spcos get it all the time--then Blogmaster respectfully suggests that says alot more about THEM than it does about the operations floor pcos.

The comparisons data referred to is useless on its own. It only becomes helpful when put into context and used to develop strategies to assist with the job--a task that reasonably would fall to the training division. Blogmasters sources also indicate that no real effort is made at collecting, storing, or analyzing any data anyway--the spcos had to research alot of this stuff themselves for their upcoming contract negotiations.

Finally, thanks to the reader for pointing out that they are actually working on new methods for teaching newbies--that is welcome news. Ditto for stress management, although Blogmaster is partial to the massage therapists who come in occasionally. The ultimate point here is NOT about dogging trainers but enough people have come and gone through the ranks of the trainers to reveal a lot of the flaws in the system. And the fact remains that there IS alot of downtime there and it might be worth thinking about how better to utilize the manpower assigned there. Without resources, there is not much anyone can accomplish even with the best intentions. Yet the suits expect an under resourced agency to perform miracles with no support and who continually reward incompetence and mismanagement among its upper ranks and wonder why morale is low and oemc remains a bastion of negativity.

Welcome Training Division

2008-01-30T00:00:00.001-06:00

Blogmaster welcomes back those members of the training division back onto the floor, including their supervisor who is, after all, an SPCO and a former dispatcher (quite a good one too), albeit only for a day. It was quite refreshing to see fellow pcos working the floor on the busiest watch side by side with the operations staff. Blogmaster only wishes it were more often--like perhaps when actual classes are not in session (mostly all the time) for a variety of reasons, including adding a few extra bodies to the watch (any watch) which is always welcome. But even more important is the simple fact that the trainers need to keep up their skill sets for dispatching, handling calls, and cad use in real time under real operations in order for them to be knowledgeable and credible and give the newbies the very best training. This is even more important given that the city and the oemc have a very poor track record of supporting the training division and its mission--they don't even have adequate office space which Blogmaster views as another sign of complete disrespect for operations.

Blogmaster only wishes this newest development weren't so suspect. It is hard to believe that this initiative comes solely from the training division itself. The last time detailed folk were forced to come back the the watches it was at the behest of the acting deputy director (recall that whole 80%-20% fiasco) and was deemed a failure almost from the start (nevermind that it was SET UP to fail). Could it be that the suits are FINALLY looking into better utilizing the existing resources at hand and concluding that perhaps--just perhaps--the training division could spare some of its pcos some of the time to actually do the job they are being paid to do? After all, with no classes in session, no prep for future classes imminent, and not much else to do what is the point in keeping 5 or 6 pcoIIs detailed there permanently?

Despite managements blather, Blogmaster does not buy the ridiculous line that the training division is busy doing "other things". There is minimal budget, resources, equipment, facilities, or political will within oemc for "other things" aside from the occasional pdt class or cpd training session. If there were, we would all be seeing new training notices, directives, and sops ad nauseum. There would be a REAL comprehensive and widespread public education and information campaign about 911. There would be consistent and persistent training of current employees in new techniques, best practices, and efficiencies in processing 911 calls. There would be alot of accessible comparison data among and between chicago and its suburbs and other large cities so that benchmark standard could be developed and implemented. There would be techniques being developed for dealing with stresses of the job, development of new methods of teaching newbies, and ongoing professional development for the trainers themselves. But Blogmaster digresses and realizes that what is being described would NEVER happen here, not as long as the top suits at oemc are political hacks and that the details are merely another way to reward cronies, curry favor, or payback political favors. Because, really, we all know its not about filling such spots with the most qualified and the best people.

Medical Time

2008-01-28T00:00:00.001-06:00

Here we go again. Blogmaster hears that management is once again examining use of medical time with an eye on reducing the daily medical roll, which perhaps is a laudable goal in ordinary workplaces. The type of workplaces that do not operate with severe and critical staffing shortages. Workplaces that are not run 24/7 with a 6 day workweek all the time. Workplaces that are flexible and accommodating with their employees. Workplaces where employees are not consistently overworked and stressed out. Workplaces that don't see their employees being removed by ambulance with alarming regularity. And reducing medical roll may also make a lot of sense in a workplace that does not contractually provide a municipal benefit of 12 sick days annually.

The preferred method of management, it seems (and really, we have been down this road before), is to scare, punish, force, and suspend people for showing up for work no matter what. In so doing, all the old tricks are being pulled from the oh-so-old hat including charging pcos with taking medical day(s) in conjunction with one's day off, on the weekends, going sick no pay. It seems the city personnel rules are sufficiently vague as to allow management to come up with some of the more ridiculous charges, like being sick no pay for as little as an hour and going home sick--with or without sick time--after making a good faith effort to show up for work. In one particular incident, a pco was suspended for being sick no pay after being removed to a hospital by cfd ambulance.

Memo to management: it hasn't worked before and it isn't going to work now. All these tactics do is lower morale and tie up resources better utilized elsewhere, especially when high ranking suits are suddenly showing up at the homes of civilian pcos escorted by cpd--a practice Blogmaster thought was confined to sworn personnel. Watch managers, spcos, and watch secretaries are not the personnel department, they are not human resources people, and they are not always discreet. Making them responsible for monitoring, tracking, and ultimately punishing/disciplining people for how they use medical time is a bad, bad, bad idea. That is a job for human resources which, ideally, would be working to not only track use of medical time, but to identify sources of potential problems and make recommendations to employees and management for corrective actions, make suggestions, or spot troubled employees and try to get them some help. Punishment should always be the last resort.

Blogmaster wants to remind the city and the suits that medical time is a city issued benefit, contractually protected and bargained for. Pcos who have sick time should not be punished or harrassed for using it. If the city and suits really want to decrease the medical rolls they ought to be putting their considerable talents (ahem) into forcing the staffing issue with downtown and grant time due when it requested so that pcos dont use medical time for special occasions (this mostly requires a hireback on overtime, so dont ever count on it). And finally, those in the know realize that the medical rolls rarely have any big impact on overtime (don't believe otherwise, despite the crap management spews). Recall christmas eve when no one, NOT A SINGLE PCO, was on the medical for 3rd watch/pmp and still over 15people were mandated....that could not be blamed on the medical, but is a direct result of staffing shortage and lack of the voluntary overtime which runs the oemc.

Is It or Isn't It? To "b" or Not to "b"?

2008-01-25T00:00:00.000-06:00

It didn't take long. Less than 1 week after the initial post in the co book--and only 3 days of actually adhering to it--apparently the B clause is out. History. Gone. No more. The OEMC has apparently and officially gone back to hiring for voluntary overtime by seniority as it has been done for several years. A new memo, dated 25 January 08 in the co book attests to this fact.

Blogmaster, relying upon a bevy of always reliable sources, is able to definitively say that this appears to be a case of management screw up (and really, there is no surpise there)and NOT union malaise (this time). It appears that the union, having been taken off guard, flexed its considerable muscle and called the city on the carpet for violating its previous agreement of non enforcement that was signed off on by its own suits. In short, the city tried to circumvent the labor/management agreement it agreed to only a scant few months ago, used a long holiday weekend to insert the notice of intent in the co book, and also apparently tried to blame the union for this whole fiasco. No surprise there. The suits at OEMC are notorious for being shifty, disrespectful, untrustworthy, and wholly incompetent (mostly).

So love it or hate it, the B clause is gone--for now at least. Love it or hate it, it appears to be a major victory for the union who forced the city to honor its previous agreement--said agreeement brokered with/by one of the very top level suits in the building.

To Blogmaster, the lesson here is twofold: the union, when pressed and under certain circumstances, does appear to be effective. One can only imagine what might actually be accomplished under some real (different) union leadership at the top levels. Second, this episode exposes how the OEMC does business and it is not a model in best practices or efficiencies. If the suits at the top can't even communicate with one another and learn SOMETHING about their underlings and the operations in which they manage, there is scant hope for improvement or betterment. And finally, to any pcos who still harbor benevolent feelings toward the suits, Blogmaster urges one to really consider what happened here and the track record of this particular regime. Enough said on that one.

Some Folks Just Don't Get It

2008-01-23T00:00:00.000-06:00

Blogmaster is once again saddened, but not truly surprised, about the level of vitriol aimed at a fellow pcoII and union steward all over the B clause referred to in the previous post. Please people, stop and consider the facts of this case and if one cares to re read said post, it becomes clear that alot--many many pcos--are missing the point here: management, and no one else, is to blame for the majority of the strife and discord surrounding the implementation of the b clause.

It is management, not the union, who decided to move forward with enforcement of an existing provision in the contract despite assurances to the contrary. It is management who failed to inform the union of their intent, despite repeated assurances that this provision was on hold pending further discussion. It is management, under cover of a holiday weekend when all the suits are conveniently out of the building, that decided to simply post said notice of enforcment in the co book with no explanation. It was management who did not give watch managers, spcos, or pcos any advance warning of how this provision would actually operate. And it is management who must bear the brunt of the failure of these action if and when they prove to be complicated, unweildy, and unduly cumbersome.

Blogmaster is no shill for the union and in fact has big problems with alot of the unions tactical and practical stragegies (or lack thereof)--see previous posts. But it hardly seems fair to give the stewards the blame on this one, considering that more than one pco stands to benefit from this provision and Blogmaster has heard personally from several employees who actually support this provision--yes they are out there. But let us please, please focus on the real issues and those are managements continued intent to divide and conquer pcos via actions exactly like these so that we turn on one another. Be smarter and dont fall for this crap.

Sneak Attack

2008-01-22T12:00:00.000-06:00

It is back. The dreaded "B" clause, currently contained in the contract, which stipulates that voluntary overtime must be rotated among all employees in a particular job classification. This is the same clause which stipulates that mandatory overtime be rotated as well.

Blogmaster is well aware of just how controverial both of these provision are, with compelling arguments on both sides that give even reasonable people pause as to what is "right" or what is "fair" to everyone, or even most people. Thankfully, it has not been an issue because the mandatory overtime has not been invoked lately and, according to our esteemed area rep/chief union steward there existed a "gentlemen's agreement" of mutually agreed non enforcement of the voluntary overtime provision--a tacit acknowledgement that the current method of hiring for voluntary overtime works reasonably well, with a few exceptions.

Until now. Until this past weekend when a memo was stealthly inserted into the co book saturday night/sunday morning outlining managements intention to begin adhering to the B clause beginning 23 January 08 for hiring of voluntary overtime. Blogmaster, like everyone else--apparently including every single union steward, the area rep, and the business agent himself--was taken by surprise and caught off guard. With little fanfare and little notice, the entire method by which voluntary overtime is to be administered will be changed drastically within 3 days. In fact, Blogmaster can now confirm, at least 2 of the 4 watch managers (assigned to operations) were completely unaware this change was imminent or that the memo has been issued until it was in the co book.

While Blogmaster does not dispute management's right--obigation--to uphold the current contract, this entire incident smells bad, looks bad, and is bad. It falls under the "its not what they did, but the way they did it" heading when something of this import can be snuck into the co book by a managerial minion on a long holiday weekend when no one is in the building to answer questions, advise employees as to HOW such changes are going to work, and what it means for them--one can say those folks actually AFFECTED by such changes. Such a tactic is reminiscint of the former, non dearly but oh so grateful she is departed, previous acting deputy director. Blogmaster EXPECTED such tactics from her, which is why this was so shocking and disappointing--we never expected it from our current deputy director. But there you have it with his name on the memo, behaving exactly the same fashion and being MIA when it comes time to answer the hard questions about why the sudden about face, why the secrecy, and why not even the union appeared to be aware this change was coming? But most important, WHAT does it mean and HOW will it be done?

Blogmaster understands how little management thinks of us. Pcos are minor annoyances to be dealt with only when they interfere with the overall machinations of the suits and how they can enrich themselves and their fiefdoms of patronage workers. It is not like pcos, spcos, and operations watch managers do anything important after all. They just run the operations and secure the building that provides the largesse that the suits are so good at mismanaging.

City Hiring

2008-01-21T00:00:00.000-06:00

The Sun Times report, dated 19 January 2008, that a us district judge "bucked his own monitor...and agreed to let Mayor Daley's administration create a new "office of compliance" to guard against patronage instead of letting the city inspector general handle it" should serve as notice to everyone intersted that business as usual is back. Indeed, if it ever left. Everyone in the know knows that in the "city that works" it matters more--much more--who one's sponsor or patronage is than one's qualifications, dedication, or work history/ethic. It is how a bunch of incompetent and unqualified hacks are able to ascend to the very top eschelons of the city power structures. And the OEMC is no exception.

Blogmaster continues to wait patiently for the final report to be issued by the federal monitor, due sometime this spring, which will deal with claims of political discrimination and hiring practices all over the city, oemc included. The real question is whether the federal monitor--and the inspector general, the unions, and the feds--will have any real impact upon business as usual. In a city that is wholly controlled by Daley and the democratic party--right down to the judges slated on the ballots--is there a chance for real reform?

Overtime Payments

2008-01-20T12:00:00.001-06:00

Blogmaster is back. After a short hiatus to attend to some pressing matters, Blogmaster can now say the posts will regularly resume. Thank you to everyone who missed us: we appreciate it and appreciate the patience.

Blogmaster is truly sorry to all of those pcos who were recently affected by the city snafu which resulted in non payment of overtime for one week in December. For those who diligently pay attention to pip dates, count the hours up, and plan for use of funds, this was no small matter. Allegedly it was a city wide problem affecting all city departments, but that is little consolation to those who were COUNTING on that money. Adding insult to injury is the fact that no one appeared able to a)adequately explain WHAT happened and WHY it happened (so that steps may be taken to prevent future occurrences) b) adequately advise when restitution would be made--a memo in the co book dated 16 january, by DD Simmons, indicated that payments would be made on check of 01Feb while a union steward forwarded information directly from the 4th floor which indicated separate checks would be cut well in advance of that date and c) no one appears to be accountable for this.

This is no small screw up. It's true that no one died, no life or property damaged, and very likely the money will be there by the next check. But given that pcos--and almost every other lower rung schmuck working for the city--are held to high standards with regard to job performance (ask some of the pcos who have been given days for any number of alleged transgressions often without appropriate due process nor within context of contract and work history) its truly amazing that the city and the 4th floor are silent on this. It is the silence that is so offensive and so deafening. But then, the suits may just be biding their time waiting to see which hack they can use as a fall guy.

City politics

2008-01-20T00:00:00.001-06:00

Blogmaster welcomes the pcoII recently returned to the 1st watch from a detailed position. One more body on the operations floor is always a help. We do sympathize, however, because Blogmaster understands that coming back to the floor was a complete surprise to said pcoII, having been told only the day prior to being expected on the 1st watch. Now that hardly seems fair, considerate, or decent--even if one were to be "dumped" which everyone agrees is an inherent risk in accepting a detail. A few weeks, or failing that, a few DAYS is more like it especially if one must make plans for child care, spouse, etc.

But then Blogmaster is reminded that the OEMC, and the city, are not benevelent organizations. They are not flexible, family oriented, women (read single parent) friendly, and they certainly are not bastion of progression when it comes to doing right by employees. It is shameful that the city does not even offer maternity/paternity leave in the year 2008, despite the mayors public assertions that Chicago is a bastion of progressive policies--it ain't evident from our perspective. And given the mayors tight grip on politics here, and his absolute iron control over his minions (read aldermen and department heads), its a real shame. Municipal governments all over the country have finally begun to behave like private entities and adopted best practices and efficiencies which make their employees happier, healthier, and more productive. But as usual, chicago is light years behind the curve.

These realities are often sugarcoated by the steady paycheck and the occasionally generous benefits. But in reality most city employees work hard for that money, subordinating creativity, innovation, and intelligence for the sake of the job and doing so is bad enough as a pco at OEMC. Blogmaster has some advice to any pco considering a detailed positions: don't. Unless one likes being at the mercy of a political hack or a mayoral minion, it isn't worth it. The bait used to entice pcos--s/s rdo and no operations floor--sounds good till one sees the other side of it and marvels at how well OEMC operations runs not because of the suits, but in spite of them. And when pcos are inevitably returned to the ops floor, they are often left wondering what happened or whether they screwed up. Good luck finding out.

Congratulations OEMC Supervisors

2008-01-15T00:00:00.001-06:00

It's official. Officially official that is. The SPCOs are now Teamsters. Congratulations to them and to those spcos who really pushed hard to acheive that--Blogmaster knows that some of you worked harder, risked more, and put yourselves out there more for this than others, even though ALL of the SPCOs will reap the benefits and the pay and you deserve the credit for that.

Shame on the city and on upper management at OEMC. Shame on them for treating the spcos so badly to begin with that they felt compelled to unionize (with less than 20 spcos, it was relatively easy to LISTEN to their concerns, to HEAR their issues, and make the right calls without alot of outside interference)and shame on the city for fighting this so hard, using up taxpayer money and resources on a fight they could not win, especially AFTER the labor board ruled against them. But then, Blogmaster understands that with other peoples money to suck up, the city has no incentive to do the right thing.

Now the hard work begins. Crafting a contract from scratch and forcing the city to abide by it. Welcome to our world and it ain't pretty. Blogmaster wishes the negotiating teams luck: they will need it.

New Superintendant

2008-01-09T00:00:00.004-06:00

Blogmaster welcomes Jody Weiss, the new CPD superintendant. As the titular head of OEMC/Homeland Security, Blogmaster has more than a passing interest in the new sups intentions and actions. Just what the new guy has in store is anyone's guess, but based on his appearance before the city council, the OEMC might not expect many changes, at least initially. He stated that his "underlings" would continue to run homeland security and Blogmaster presumes that is where the OEMC still figures in the scheme of things. For now, Blogmaster presumes, that means no change in day to day operations under current ED Ruiz.

That is unfortunate. Blogmaster was rather looking forward to an outsider's inside perspective on OEMC operations. A former g man with pristine credentials and a high security clearance related to his former role in various aspects of law enforcment, Weiss might be able to lend some REAL credence to the OEMC and its fledgling "homeland security" operations. The fact that Weiss is beholden to no one--not even the mayor, once he is confirmed by city council--means that he would be able to really shake things up. The current leaders appear to be too anemic to do more than opine occasionally that more 911 operations staff might be useful.

A new leader might actually be able to articulate a vision for OEMC that encompasses both 911 operations and homeland security as integrated operations. A new leader might develop a mission statetment for the OEMC that provides a foundation and a philosophy for all employees to embrace. A new leader might go before the public and explain that cpd, and the city, cannot meet all their demands all the time. A new leader would be able to initiate a real comprehensive public education campaign with the ultimate goal of decreasing non essential calls to 911 and preparing citizens for inevitable calamities, either manmade or natural. Blogmaster longs for the day when some of the homeland security money which flows through OEMC trickles down to operations for training, equipment, and technology. But most of all, Blogmaster wants a real leader who will acknowledge that alot of us at OEMC are burned out and that we are understaffed, underutilized, and improperly managed. We want a real leader who we can RESPECT.

Solidarity

2008-01-09T00:00:00.003-06:00

A new year is here. Blogmaster is hopeful that with the new year a new attitude may emerge among many of the pcos. Too often, as Blogmaster has noted many times in the past, it is always about "me, me, me". Now this is a useful concept in many instances--and often a necessary one. However, the sense of entitlement and the do not care about anyone but oneself attitudes among certain pcos truly saddens Blogmaster.

Dictionary definition of solidarity: "a unity of interests, purposes, or sympathies within a group". Solidarity means that everyone comes together, often subordinating ones self interst, to advance the interests of the whole group in order to acheive the most benefits for everyone in that group. Solidarity is present in groups with high morale, good leadership, and those that struggle for a common cause. Given the nature of oemc police operations, with its less than 400 pcos, solidarity seems a given. However, it seems to Blogmaster that we have never been more divided.

Part of the problem, Blogmaster thinks, is the lack of real leadership at all levels of the OEMC. No real union leadership, no supervisory leadership, no leadership from the executive director, and certainly not from the mayor/city hall. If anything, there is a big target on the ops floor the minute anything is amiss. No CPD, slow CPD service or inadequate police responses are all initially blamed on OEMC whether or not such claims are justified. Of course moving up the chain of command means bigger paychecks and less job security, so Blogmaster believes the natural tendency for those people higher up is to protect their turf by placing blame elsewhere. At OEMC this has become an artform. As a result, pcos have lost all sense that anyone is looking out for them or protecting their actions during the course of their duties. And that is why there is no solidarity, no struggle for a common cause, and an inclination to protect oneself at all costs.

2008-01-06T15:47:00.001-06:00

Incoming and Outgoing Phone Calls

2008-01-06T00:00:00.002-06:00

Phones, phones, phones. Yes, we work in a call center. Yes, Blogmaster expects to be on the phone a significant amount of the time. But that is generally expected when one is a calltaker, or acting in a calltaking capacity answering 911 calls and manning the ad desk. However, Blogmaster has been constantly struck--unpleasantly so--by the volume and the nature of phone calls coming in and going out on dispatch consoles and it is not the public.

No, Blogmaster is referring to the pax lines, the direct calls to the zones and citywides, and the frequent requests for callbacks when field units are unable to make contact with 911 callers. On certain occasions, it is so prevalent that the secondary dispatcher is spending a majority of the time on the phone, away from the radio, and unable to assist the primary dispatcher in handling operations and incoming assignments. Like the messages, the phone calls have gotten out of control.

Calls to the zones are from districts desks: they want rds, mission or doc numbers, or information they really should be able to retrieve for themselves using station computers. Calls from field units IN the station already wanting transports, times, or other information they could obtain for themselves using station computers or their radios to go over the zone. Or field units who want to take lunch, have time due, or need doc/mission numbers but dont want to go over the radio. Calls from the area, from steets and san, from the fusion center, from the sgts or lts needing this or that. Phone calls to the zones that don't--in most cases--really need to be made and really should not be made. Every time a dispatcher--or a citywide person where the call bounces if the zone does not pick up--answers these calls, they are being distracted from their primary duties.

And this is just the INCOMING calls. Does anyone recognize the extreme increase in requests for callbacks from field units? Blogmaster has noticed that more than half of the field units responding to their assignments routinely request a callback from the dispatcher and not just for the priority jobs either. Parkers, crashes, disturbances, and ordinance violations have all brought the phrase, "squad you got a callback?" On certain zones--think north side, ahem--Blogmaster has heard on more than one occasion field units ask the dispatcher to call back the caller BEFORE they even arrive onscene. Again, making these callbacks takes the dispatchers away from the radio and away from their partner which is not so significant in January but has huge implications in warmer months, especially on busier zones.

Blogmaster has long believed that dispatch phones should be used very sparingly and only when needed. A field unit at a hospital, for example, who cannot transmit and needs to make a notification. Or the times when the dispatcher REQUESTS a unit to call to the zone for information to make a notification. Callbacks--which are NOT required by any SOP, directive, or general order--should be solely at the discretion of the dispatcher and Blogmaster firmly believes that dispatchers should use that discretion a bit more by telling the field units, "handle accordingly" in most cases.

Jerry, Jerry, Jerry

2008-01-06T00:00:00.000-06:00

Memo to Jerry Rankins: Business Agent for IBEW Local 21
From Blogmaster

Happy New Year Jerry. We sincerely hope you have enjoyed your year and that you are filled with cheer and good tidings for 2008. In order to help you better serve us we have composed a list of our biggest wishes for the new year. Here, in no particular order, are some of our primary concerns:

-a new contract Blogmaster prefers a contract that actually has some teeth. Enforcement provisions to PUNISH the city for failure to abide by its side. SANCTIONS so that when the city does not perform as required--and agreed to--there are consequences and accountability.
-OJT reform Either contractual or not, Blogmaster does not care. It hasnt been an issue lately, because there are no trainees, but it has not gone away. The city can keep its measly buck an hour most of us DO NOT want to train the newbies. It is not personal, it is about our own sanity and protection. Please provide us with a right of refusal. Unwilling trainers are bad for the newbies, citizens and field units, bad for coworkers, and bad for ones self.
-elected stewards How bout giving the membership a say in those who represent them to the union, management, and the city? Blogmaster has supported union elections and if the current reps stay, so be it. But how how bout letting us have a chance to vote for them? More than a few of us think that SOME of the reps may have their own agenda. It would also more accountability and better communications between the union and its membership. And that goes for the business rep and the area steward
-better information dissemination. Most of the time no one knows what the union has or hasnt done or what is going on. We thank those reps who try to inform us, but really Jerry this is a widespread systemic problem.
-accelerated grievance resolution 3 and 4 YEARS? there is nothing--not anything--Blogmaster can possibly think of to justify this backlog. Please Jerry, use your considerable charm to move on these. It is absolutely disgraceful and really really embarrassing for the union and really inconvenient for the affected employees. And inconvenient is about the mildest word we use here.
-more onsite meetings No reason, Jerry, for you to stay away from us. Blogmaster takes it personally when you fail to provide solid leadership and face time to the members. The union faithfully takes their money from our paychecks each month so please give us something tangible to show for that and provide a forum for discussions and communciations.
-a real and genuine attempt at exploring the possibility of splitting Unit 2 in half and separating IBEW from SEIU. Is this possible? If not, why? and if so what would it take? Blogmaster would be willing to support the union wholeheartedly in an effort to figure out if this could be done. We are TIRED of a contract not specifically tailored to us, given how important we are to the city, and we are SICK of subordinating our real interests to accommodate city employees that we have nothing in common with. It is a drain on our resources and takes away time and effort at constructing a practical contract geared with OEMC, and only OEMC, in mind.

So Jerry, what do you say? Blogmaster knows its a long list and it won't be easy. But it is a new year, new people to work with at OEMC, and anything can happen. Right?

Happy New Year

2008-01-03T00:00:00.000-06:00

It is officially a new year. 2008 is here and with it are Blogmaster's wishes for the OEMC this year. In no particular order, here is our wish list:

-a new contract with enforcement provisions so that when the city is caught flagrantly disregarding the contract (often), there are REAL consequences and accountability.
-accountability from suits for standing by their decisions and acknowledgement if and when those decisions prove to be wrong or lead to poor or unforseen unintended consequences. In other words, stop letting all the dung roll downhill all the time
-new and improved equipment and consoles, including chairs that are not all broken, armrests that move, working lights, and readable maps. Psaps that can forward calls up front to the office (many of them cannot).
--increased staffing levels so that comp time does not have to be denied 90% of the time and mandataory overtime reaches zero. And please let those new hires be competent and of high quality.
-more visibility from the executive director to the operations floor personnel. Come down to the floor occasionally, to the roll calls, or into the breakrooms. Show us that attention is paid to the day to day stuff. Let us see interactions with our co workers, supervisors, and ourselves. Let us form a personal opinions NOT based on a press conference.
-promotions, details, and personnel moves that are fair and equitable, not based on clout, phone calls, or who owes who what.

It is not an exhaustive list, by any means. But it is a start.

Dispatcher Unrest, Suburban Style

2007-12-30T00:00:00.001-06:00

"ORLAND PARK POLICE DISPATCHERS WANT OUT OF THIER UNION"

This headline, from the Southtown Star of 28 December 2007, speaks volumes. The dispatchers, along with the village's other public works employees, are all represented by AFSCME. The dispatchers claim the union does not represent them, and according to this article, they have attempted to withdraw from their union by filing a motion with the Illinois Labor Relations Board. They have been working without a contract since last May. The union disputes the allegations of the dispatchers and is preparing a response to the motion for separaration but a union spokesperson would not say why AFSCME insists on holding the dispatchers against their will. The piece also points to unrest between the dispatchers and the other public works employees who have very divergent interests but are lumped together for bargaining purposes. Apparently that has become a major sticking poin--the public works employees rejected a contract they felt too heavily favored dispatchers.

Anyone see any paralells here? Are we not stuck in a bargaining unit where we are way outnumbered? Anyone see divergent interests in OUR bargaining? Anyone think IBEW does not always represent OUR intersts? Or that it devotes more time, energy, and resources to its other clients, SBC/COMCAST etc?

Blogmaster will be watching the Orland Park case closely, but not with any optimism. The Executive Director of the Illinois Labor Relations Board stated that 8-10 union factions try to dissolve each year on grounds they are not being represented but these groups rarely, if ever, succeed. The reason, he goes on, is because keeping unions larger brings "a certain amount of stability to collective bargaining" and "once you have a collective bargaining unit and work is stable, the board usually doesn't like to pull those units out".

Good luck to our brethren in Orland Park. They are going to need it.

Grinch Award

2007-12-29T00:00:00.001-06:00

And the winner is...........Watch Manager Kathlyn Brown!

Blogmaster regretfully award this year's Grinch Award to WM Brown for her extreme insensitivity and bad judgement for the weekend leading up to and including Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. After wholesaling denials of comp time for almost everyone that entire weekend preceding christmas--and purportedly every single person on christmas eve (see previous post addressing this issue)--WM Brown takes christmas day off for herself. That is right. WM Brown was carried day off holiday for christmas day. Never mind that she mandated 16--SIXTEEN--pcos from 2nd watch on christmas eve to stay into the 3rd watch, never mind that she her failure to adequately control her resources for christmas eve resulted in a "misunderstanding" that allowed a pcoII to believe that christmas eve off was granted when in fact it wasnt leading to a lot of hard feelings, and never mind that for those folks who COULDNT stay are going to be written up by her own hand. Never mind all that because WM Brown had christmas day off to be with her own family and did not have to deal with all of the blowback of her decisions the previous weekend.

Memo to the suits who are reading this, especially WM Brown: just because one CAN do something does not mean one SHOULD do something. It is very poor taste and judgement for a boss to expect his/her employees to sacrifice and forgo their plans while turning around and enjoying the benefits that were just denied to them by one's own decision. Comprende? Remember the first tenet of good management and good leadership--never ask someone to do something that one would be unwilling to do oneself. That means, WM Brown, that when YOU deny comp time wholesale, when YOU mandate 16 people to stay on christmas eve, and when you attempt to punish people for not being there YOU might want to show up yourself and show solidarity with the folks who are sacrificing to make YOU look good. To make the stats on YOUR watch okay. So you dont get called on the carpet with YOUR boss. The ones who miss their kids, presents and dinner so YOU can make your big bucks. And one last admonishment to you, WM Brown: if you are going to absent, just say so. Please. Look us in the eye and tell us you are being carried day off holiday. It is the least you can do.

Finally, to all the other suits who are sorry they missed the Grinch Award, take heart. There are still a few days left in the year.

New Years Eve Weekend

2007-12-29T00:00:00.000-06:00

It is that time again. One of the busiest nights of the year and everyone, it seems is unhappy, pissed off, and generally disgruntled. Let us recount some of the reasons:
-wholesale of denial of comp time, even on those days preceding immediately following the actual holidays themselves
-cancellation of rdos for new years eve for certain members of the 1st watch and the pmp power shifts
-increased amounts of mandatory overtime, especially affecting the 2nd watch
-word that new class of dispatchers, expected to start in january, has been moved back the new date for hires is "sometime first part of the year" (per DD Simmons)

Now these issues are by no means new to the operations floor. However, for the latter half of December--not traditionally a busy time for oemc--these facts point to an alarming trend: have we finally reached a burnout point? a point of maximum capacity among pcos? an inability to just keep on working, working, working overtime mandatory or voluntary? Blogmaster hopes that the suits are feverishly working (cough, cough) to address these issues and come up with some real and creative solutions. But Blogmaster is not optimistic.

Christmas Weekend, Continued

2007-12-26T00:00:00.000-06:00

Blogmaster is once again saddened, but unfortunately not surprised, at the amount of rancor and venom directed at pcos by fellow pcos. Perhaps some of those affected by the mandatory overtime--particularly for christmas eve 2nd watchers--fail to comprehend the true state of manpower at the OEMC: as reported in previous post the mandatory overtime invoked by management is due to STAFFING SHORTAGES and LACK OF VOLUNTEERS for voluntary overtime, not because an overwhelming majority of 3rd watchers went on the medical. Anyone disputing this fact, please revisit the previous post and feel free to check on the accuracy of Blogmaste's claims. In fact, Blogmasters sources report, that for 3rd watch, pmp calltakers, and pmp dispatchers there were a total of LESS THAN 5 MEDICALS for christmas eve. Less than 5 out of the combined 3 shifts. And Blogmaster can report that of those folks who were actually denied the comp time for christmas eve on 3rd watch--ALL of them actually showed up for work. So please, people before everyone disintegrates into the blame game about who is at fault here, consider the real issues--THERE ARE SIMPLY NOT ENOUGH PCOS TO MINIMALLY--AND THAT MEANS BARE BONES, SKELETON CREW, STIPPED BARE, JUST ENOUGH TO GET THROUGH--STAFF THE WATCHES. That is why every single day just about every watch is working lunches, breaks, and extensions and is STILL often being hit with mandatory overtime.

Blogmaster would also like to point out to any interested parties that the critical staffing shortages--which account for about 50% of OEMC's problems--so affect quality of life that its impossible to ignore it. Yes those of us working the operations floor agreed to work holidays, 24/7, and rotate rdos. We agreed to take a job which puts us at risk to be sued civilly and handle a "reasonable amount of overtime" as specified in our contract. We agreed that in times of emergency, natural calamities, or manmade catastrophes to be "locked down" inside the building and put the citizens and officers of the city before even ourselves (anyone remember when the system shutdown a few years back when everyone worked 10-12-14-16 hours with no breaks, lunches, or even any food? or the time the system failed and the squad car suddenly appeared at the exit gate preventing anyone from leaving the parking lot?) What we did NOT agree to is to be mismanaged, abused, and taken advantage of. We DO NOT agree with the use of overtime--voluntary or mandatory--as a means of doing business or as a way to solve long term chronic staffing shortages. We OBJECT to continually trying to do the right thing and play by the rules, yet constantly get shat upon. We are TIRED of making plans only to have slips returned denied for important life events like weddings and graduations (how many folks in the private sector have this problem?) We are SICK of looking forward to the assigned end of our tour, only to be tapped on the back and be told "hey you are up tonight for mandatory" and most of all we are MAD AS HELL that no one--NO ONE-- gives a shit about it but us. And because it affects every citizen, taxpayer, tourist, visitor, alderman, and field unit in this entire city, THEY SHOULD CARE TOO.

The Eve of Christmas Eve Weekend

2007-12-23T00:00:00.000-06:00

Blogmasters sources report a particularly high level of discontent on the operations floor for this weekend, mostly related to the lack of comp time approved for the busy days prior to Christmas. A particular pall hangs over the 3rd Watch where it can now be told that the Watch Manager denied every single request for time due for Christmas Eve. Every single slip submitted for time on afternoons--including pmp calltakers, pmp dispatchers, and even a police officer--was given back to its unlucky requestor. This is especially disheartening to those folks who put the slips in up to a YEAR in advance--only now to face a decision of whether to forgo their plans for that special night and come in to work or call off on medical and face certain disciplinary actions.

This issue, however, does not just have repurcussions for those pcos affected by a lack of approved time due--it poses a challenge for the watch managers and supervisors and has the potential to seriously affect officer safety and 911 call processing. For the 3rd Watch on Christmas Eve, Blogmaster can report, there are still significant gaps in manpower to staff the minimum number of positions to ensure efficient operations. That would be the MINIMUM amount of pcos necessary to staff adequately, and all of this is BEFORE a single pco calls off on the medical for that day. This sad fact illustrates a salient point that often goes unacknowledged and unreported: the OEMC operations does operate--and has operated for a very long time--on the continued use of overtime as a means to solve a chronic and dangerous (did we mention liability?) staffing shortage. It only becomes apparent on days like christmas eve, new years eve and july 3--when an extreme lack of overtime volunteers for those particular days (which are not holiday pay)--reveal gaping holes in manpower. This phenomenon especially affects 3rd Watch because having to work that day leaves one little time to do anything else. Can anyone say mandatory overtime? These next few weeks are going to be brutal for everyone at a time when call volume is not traditionally high (with the exception of New Year's Eve) when the mandatory overtime kicks in for real as it did already for 2nd watch, pmp dispatchers and calltakers, and the 1st watch over the weekend.

But more importantly, the watch managers, supervisors, and pcos are left trying to deal with a problem they did not create and are unable to adequately address. As a result the watch managers are reliant upon the continued use of overtime and all the associated problems with overextended employees, the pcos are burdened with more work and more burnout, and the citizens and taxpayers of the city are forced to pay--and pay bigtime in some cases (did we mention liability?)--for a less efficient workforce which is third rate, at best, despite the city efforts to tout its 911 operations as world class. It would be funny, if it werent so sad and serious.

Training of New Hires

2007-12-21T00:00:00.000-06:00

As previously reported, Blogmaster sources indicate that a new class of pcoIIs will be commencing early next year, purportedly in January. While this is good news--any help to solve the staffing shortages is welcome--it also forces a host of unsettling issues back to the forefront, primarily the OJT that current pcos are expected to provide to the new hires and it begs the question of why those individuals assigned to the training division already on a full time basis are exempted from performing this "essential function".

Blogmaster is very familiar with management's standard position on this issue--that many of the training division employees also assume other duties (beat meetings, representation of OEMC at outside events, and providing pcad training to CPD among other things), but we don't buy it. Other "excuses" include administrative functions, class/materials prep, and other duties as needed. Blogmaster is more inclined to believe, cynically perhaps but not without good reason and precedent, that the OJT functions are handed off to working pcos primarily so that the M-F employees--who are all pcoIIs by the way--are not required to disrupt their lives by assuming inconvenient watch shifts, albeit if only for a period or so. Furthermore, Blogmaster has observed rather pessimistically, that most of the pcos in the training division haven't actually dispatched or taken calls for a very long time--YEARS in some cases. From a training perspective this sad reality poses some very real issues and impedes both the integrity and credibility of the entire training division. The lack of qualified OJT volunteers is one reflection of this phenomenon--with few exceptions, almost NO ONE, pcoI or II actually CHOOSES to do OJT. Even with additional compensation, for current pcos, its a no win situation. So why, Blogmaster repectfully asks, are we being forced to when its abundantly clear that the pcoIIs RESPONSIBLE and ACCOUNTABLE for training the new hires--the pcoIIs who WANT to be in the training division and who currently enjoy S/S rdos--appear to hand off the most crucial aspect of the entire training experience to those who have no interest, inclination, or ability to assume it? And can anyone, preferably a suit, please explain why this makes sense?

Federal Monitor

2007-12-20T00:08:00.000-06:00

The city's federal monitor has been busy, busy, busy. With only $12 million and over 1,400 claims of political and patronage hires, transfers, and promotions the monitor is set to request a 90 day extension to complete processing of claims which were to be done by 27 December. Apparently, the monitor is overwhelmed by both the volume and the content of claims. Blogmaster is shocked, SHOCKED, that anyone can still be surprised about the depths of corruption and patronage that permeate every aspect of city government.

Blogmaster has now confirmed, via the usual very reliable sources, that a minumum of 3 claims related to OEMC have been filed with the federal monitor. Blogmaster is waiting with bated breath to see how the monitor rules on these cases and whether any meaningful investigations will take place that will result in any suits being disciplined. Ultimately, Blogmaster thinks not. The city has made it an art form to blame the lowest level employees and make them take hits while the upper level, politically connected, high paying employees skate (think Durkin Park, for one quick example). Just the same, Blogmaster wonders if these claims were what led to the departure of former high ranking OEMC employees, including Valaquez, Oaks, and Keating who no doubt saw the writing on the wall. Blogmaster bets that there might still be some squirming for those left at the top of OEMC even though now the question becomes whether any investigation will lead to significant changes or will it be "business as usual" at OEMC and at other city departments?

The cynic in Blogmaster thinks business as usual will commence. After all, the monetary payouts are in leiu of any court action and prohibit the claimants from later suing, even in class action suits. It is blood money and it was designed, approved, and will be paid for the lowest, most qualified (in many cases)people harmed to sit down, shut up and go away.

Rotating Seniority List

2007-12-20T00:00:00.000-06:00

It is posted. The christmas rotating seniority list--in all its glorious confusion--is posted in the 3rd floor operations breakroom. Is there anyone, ANYONE, who truly understands how this thing works? or how it is SUPPOSED to work? Asking different supervisors yields slightly different answers and its not even clear that all the watch secretaries are really aware of how it works. And since this does not appear to be a union issue--the list (indeed the entire concept of holiday rotating seniority), Blogmaster is told, is not contractual at all. So don't look to the stewards or the union for help interpreting it: they appear just as confused as everyone else on this issue. One just looks for one's name and prays that it is near the top for a coveted holiday like Christmas.

Quick Hits, Part II

2007-12-18T18:49:00.000-06:00

New Hires: For those interested, it may now be noted that the NEW date for PCOII hires and promotees is scheduled for early to mid January. That is what Blogmaster sources say, anyway. We are waiting with bated breath to see a) how many people actually accept the job b) how many make it through training and c) how many quit of their own volition when they realize, correctly, what a morally bankrupt cesspool they have agreed to work for.

Contract Negotiations: Blogmaster has been told another round of negotiation talks commence tomorrow. While we are not actually THERE, we do have reliable sources. Blogmaster shudders to think of the total incompetence and ineptitude likely represented at that table, on BOTH sides. Dare we wonder what we are to be asked to concede to next?

Rumors, Scandals, Innuendos and etcetera: Is it true that our esteemed Excutive Director had his vehicle towed? or not? Word on the ops floor vary but Blogmaster has heard that our EDs vehicle was parked illegally on a hydrant in front of his home. Confirmation anyone? Even Blogmasters usually reliable sources are stymied by this one and we wonder if it is an urban legend gone amok.

Watch Operations

2007-12-13T10:59:00.000-06:00

There is something rotton in OEMC. The chain of command, always susceptible to corruption, appears to be suffering. IT would seem that the watch managers have been dealing with a high level of outside interference of late with regard to day to day operations. Overtime hires, management of call volume, personnel shifts, zone assignments, and even day off group changes have all been issues either directed by, or become an issue with, upper management. As a result, Blogmaster asks the question: who really runs the watches? Is it the executive director or the deputy director of police operations? Is it the watch manager? The front line supervisors? Or even the watch secretaries and the pcos?

The watch operations, for the most part, run pretty seamlessly. With the help of good secretaries, the front line supervisors and watch managers should be able to make organizational decisions about operations based on knowledge of available personnel, past experience, and the facts at hand. They get paid big bucks to make these operational decisions. Why then, are we seeing so much outside interference? Micromanaging can be a dangersous thing: those things that are legitimately concerns of upper management ultimately are lost, watered down, or overlooked when the suits are devoting their considerable time, resources, and ahem TALENTS, to the everyday minutia that has rightfully been delegated to their minions.

And to those pcos who contribute to this phenomenon by circumventing the established chain of command, Blogmaster respectfully requests that you stop. Stop going around the watch managers to complain about issues that are not worthy of upper management, including petty squabbles, perceived slights from co workers or supervisors, dog changes, denial of comp time or the dozens of other issues that the watch manager should have the final say over. And to those suits, if you are paying attention, please stop the interference as well. It undermines the credibility of the front line supervisors and watch managers, it contributes to the perception that certain folks dont have to play by the rules, and it is bad for morale.

OEMC Morale

2007-12-09T14:36:00.000-06:00

The holidays are upon us, with one of the busiest nights of the entire year, right around the corner (New Year's Eve). Yet during this time of celebration and joy, something is missing in OEMC. There is no sense of spirit, brotherhood, or pride associated with taking 911 calls or dispatching. In short, our morale has long since departed the building right along with the long lost, lamented Motorola holiday dinner we used to enjoy.

The reasons for the lack of morale are obvious and have been evident for a long time: lack of supervision and accountability, overall lowering of job performance standards, mismanagment and lack of understanding about operations and communications by top tier political appointees, clout promotions and apppointments, and rife incompetence that goes unchallenged and unchecked.
Inconsistent, capricious, and arbitrary disicpline for alleged infractions have also killed morale.

Sadly, Blogmaster know though that the pcos also contibute to it when they are continually tardy, fail to adhere to uniform standards, take endless smoke breaks every hour, conduct foot patrol every hour, sleep while on duty, are just lazy, or bring alot of personal drama to the operations floor.

It is a classic case of chicken and egg: is the operations floor so "bad" because they are poorly managed or is management indifferent because pcos are "bad" and are protected by a union, thus not worth their efforts and resources? Makes one wonder.

Quick Hits

2007-12-08T00:00:00.000-06:00

Three thoughts for the price of one (even though you really don't pay us anything to impart all these topics/thoughts anyway):

Why are we jumping all over the hierarchy map in terms of promotions? One would think that we'd hire PCO Is, then promote to PCO IIs, then promote to SPCOs, then promote to Watch Managers. But we've had a promotion to WM, and a set of people (not very many) poised to make PCO II. Aren't we already short supervisors? And calltakers?

Speaking of people set to get promoted to PCO II, how is it that with all of the calltakers we have - with plenty of time on the job, mind you - only four of them were able to pass the written test for dispatcher?

And are all of them going to pass the interview stage? And when are they going to get promoted, anyway?

Radio Zones

2007-12-07T19:57:00.000-06:00

It's that time of year again. The 1st period brings with it new shift assignments and personnel changes. As a result, Watch Managers attempt to fill the holes in zone assignments created by personnel movement to other watches. This effort has always struck Blogmaster as slightly riduculous, considering that the "official" position of the OEMC management team is that radio zone assignments are not permanent, are subject to change, and are day by day.

PcoIIs, and all the field officers who pay attention, know that day in and day out the same dispatchers sit at the same zones with only slight variations to accommodate rdos, furloughs, and comp days. This is true on all 3 watches and even the power watches are remarkably consistent in their assigment of personnel to particular zones for reliefs. This is a direct effect of managements enforcement of its "non policy policy" of keeping "regulars" on particular zones. The creation and maintenance of zone assignment sheets in the watch manager's office ensure consistentcy of dispatchers on each zone on a daily basis.

The inevitable outcome of this practice are distinct classes of dispatchers: a)those who dispatch and b) those who dispatch only at a certain zone or citywide. Blogmaster has been hearing more and more discontent among some of the front line supervisors when confronted by certain pcoIIs who object to a particular assigment, including calltaking (which by the way, Blogmaster will point out emphatically, is most certainly part of the pcoII job definition).

Blogmaster has no sympathy for managment in this regard. This is a monster of their own making and they have inspired these types of petty squabbles over zones and citywides for many years now. So when a pcoII complains about, refuses to work, or goes home sick rather than work a particular zone, citywide, or calltake management must take some responsibility for that because its own practices and policies contributed heartily to the problem.

Contract Negotiations

2007-12-05T08:42:00.001-06:00

Blogmaster thanks those union reps who have been updating the members on the progress of contract negotiations. It seems that pcos/acos really do have an uphill battle to fight with the city. Blogmaster can now confirm the city has offered a 10% wage increase over 5 years while rejected other union demands, including a shift differential (Blogmaster could've advised, had we been consulted, that this would be DOA--can one imagine the already incompetent hacks having to deal with that?).

The out of hand rejection of more money by the city is not a surprise-they have been crying poor for months now and Daley has recently raised taxes. The real question now becomes whether the union and its membership have the stomach for a strong standoff on this and other issues. According to one of the more knowlegeable union reps, other issues on the table include OJT, comp time payouts, and grievance issues.

Blogmaster would like to see an overhaul of the current contract. A real line by line, article by article comprehensive fix to many of the vagaries embedded therein. But we know that, in the end, the contract will turn on the money issues AGAIN. The notion of a retro check and a small raise will be enough to break any impasse on any real reforms.

Seniority

2007-12-03T09:19:00.000-06:00

Furlough picks 2008 commence tomorrow morning at 0500. It is safe to say that some people will be disappointed with what they ultimately end up with, either by default, because their slips were filled out incorrectly, and/or because they failed to show up. Unlike watch selections, furlough picks are conducted in the open and are live from the roll call room. Being present assures one of at least having some say in what one ultimately ends up with. And there is the salient point in all this: SHOW UP OR SHUT UP. While Blogmaster has some sympathy (very little) for those newer pcos who are almost assured of winter furloughs due to their low seniority, there is simply no excuse for not showing up and then complaining about it. But past experience has taught Blogmaster that there are always a few out there that don't show up and then never shut up.

While on seniority, Blogmaster has watched the latest fiasco unfolding at the OEMC with sadness. All the hoopla about implementing a "rotating voluntary overtime" list seems to have divided the operations floor and not in a good way. Apparently, this is a contractual provision, and allows all voluntary overtime to be rotated among ALL members. Presently, OEMC practices affords overtime strictly (by watch first) by seniority and this is a direct contradiction to the contract. Blogmaster would like to remind ALL pcos--before they turn completely against one another--to look first to management and notice how skillfully they played this one out and what they have/had to gain from it. For the cynical among us know that management ALWAYS has an agenda when it changes track. Again, its a divide and conquer tactic which they employed brilliantly because ultimately, we cannot stick together for anything.

Discipline

2007-12-02T19:15:00.001-06:00

Here we go again. Blogmaster has received confirmation of at least 8 suspensions handed down in the last week. By our count, at least 4 of them were for multiple days off for "rudeness" including one pcoI who was hit with 20+ days. Doesn't exactly inspire fondness for the company, for the management, or for the union who apparently are powerless to prevent said suspensions from being served BEFORE appealing the ruling. Kinda hard to have a nice christmas under such circumstances.

Blogmaster would laugh, if it were not so serious, at the concept of our new (relatively) Executive Director approving (or as rumor has it, INCREASING) puninshments for alleged transgressions he neither understands or has ever personnally witnessed/experienced. OEMC is not a business, its not a customer service operation, it is not one stop shopping, and it is not on demand service. Calltakers are REQUIRED--by OEMC's OWN POLICIES--to obtain information from callers and to "take control of conversations". At what point did doing that become verboten? Is doing one's job now cause for suspensions? Blogmaster would like the Executive Director to ask some of the field units if THEY objected to the calltaker asking too many questions if it resulted in finding out that a domestic involved a gun? Or that a witness reporting a hit and run got a description of the car and driver? or that any one of ten thousand other scenarios the calltakers deal with EVERY SINGLE DAY resulted in someone's life being saved or an officer who was prepared for what he/she walked into when answering a 911 call? When did that become a bad thing? Just asking

To those facing suspensions during this month, Blogmaster is thinking of you. And for everyone else, take heed because next time it could be you.

2007-12-02T18:38:00.000-06:00

It's official. There is, for the first time in recent memory, a new CPD Superintendant who is an "outsider". A former fed, as it were, non Chicagoan, to lead a department beset by several scandals, bad apples (a few, not all by any means), and tons of bad press over the past few years.

But Blogmaster digresses. For OEMC, the real issue about the appointment is two fold: how will the new Super treat the OEMC dispatch operations (like an unwanted but necessary minor league bit partner ala the current and immediate former Superintendants who mostly ignored OEMC) and what does his new role over "emergency management/homeland security" mean for the OEMC? Mostly, former supers just ignored OEMC, but those in the know know that is not the most prudent course of action in the long run, even if OEMC is no longer directly accountable to the CPD.

Were Blogmaster asked, we could advise the new super about a police dispatch center which is severely understaffed, operates on occasional mandatory overtime and unhealthy amounts of voluntary overtime, and accepts a lack of training and equipment for its 911 calltakers and dispatchers as "an unfortunate reality of the present political climate" (ie, read NO MONEY). These factors, coupled with low morale and other shortcomings (no leadership, poor use of existing resources, etc) directly affect officer safety and test public confidence in the entire public safety structure of the city. These are the things which OEMC's OWN executive director(s) have either failed to appreciate or take action upon.

Were Blogmaster advising the new super, we could further expound upon the city's amorphous and vague concept of "homeland security" and "emergency management" which provides its citizens with neither, if the definition of said phrases means that its front line workers (911 calltakers and dispatchers) are prepared to handle field events which include recognizing cluster occurences, multiple man mande catastrophes, terrorist attacks on city soil, or the occasional large scale evacuations or other mass incidents.

Blogmaster has no axe to grind with CPD and in general, we are very, very supportive of our brothers and sisters in the field. We know that the new super has his hands full already taking on CPD, especially if mass exodus in the upper ranks of CPD occurs when he takes his post. But these issues are so critical and so important that he ignores them at his own peril. Just the same, we wish him well.

2007-11-29T21:45:00.000-06:00

We're back. To put it bluntly, s@*# happens, but it is over so we have commenced with our posting.
First up: congratulations are in order to OEMC Supervisor Brown. Blogmaster hears that its officially official: Supervisor Brown is now Watch Manager Brown. As one of the first female and one of the first civilian dispatch supervisors, Blogmaster is cautiously optimistic about this appointment. Let's only hope that she can play with the big boys, unlike her immediate un-dearly and non-missed predecessor who as THE first female civilian WM couldnt hang and was run out of shop for wetter pastures. In any case Blogmaster sincerely wishes Supervisor Brown well in her future job and hopes that she will not be adversely affected by her new duties.
While on the topic of supervisors, let the record reflect Blogmasters whole hearted support for their bid at unionization. The Labor Board, after ruling in favor of the supervisors (was there ever a real doubt after listening to testimony from the moronic TS, CG, and MK?), has the distinction of having had its decision appealed by the city. That's right. The city is appealing the FINAL ruling of the labor board in a last ditch attempt to prevent the TEAMSTERS from representing the supervisors at a bargaining table. Blogmaster suggests, respectfully of course, that city resources and manpower be better spent elsewhere. The unionization is both inevitable and overdue: delaying only sends the message--again--that the city does not value its front line employees and increases the amount of retro checks.
Word on the street is that rdos for new years eve will be cancelled again for 1st watch, pmp dispatchers, and pmp calltakers. Blogmaster hears that even 3rd watch may be on the hook this year, but we cannot confirm this. Let us just point out the futility of this now, in advance of the usual year end hoopla, and state the obvious: call volume goes up on new years eve and there is nothing we can do to stop that short of blocking 911 from the direct dial.

We know we have neglected our posts of late,

2007-10-31T00:00:00.000-05:00

So don't bother writing to state the obvious.

Let us first comment on some goings on at the OEMC this past month, shall we? We hear negotiations are in progress. Dare we expect something GOOD to come from these proceedings?

We have been informed, but have not actually SEEN, any of the unions requests nor the city counterproposals and vice versa. Is this because the union has no concrete strategy for comprehensive long term negotiations (our educated guess) or for other reasons such as their proposals are so weak as to incite immediate anger among the rank and file? Just asking.

The "final" seniority list has been posted, after the last "final" seniority list was deemed incorrect. Does anyone really believe there aren't any errors in this one too? And can someone please advise us how a certain employee, not seen at OEMC for YEARS, is still listed w his/her class and issued a seniority number despite the contract which specifically states seniority stops accruing after 12 months?

Second, today is Halloween which, along w/ New Year's Eve and the 3rd/4th of July, is one of the busiest days of the year. PCOS best be EXTRA careful as we can remember that some of the highest profile incidents (and most nonsense discipline) seem to result from these days. Any reports from the front lines will be appreciated.

You want a new post to talk about important things?

2007-09-28T12:00:00.000-05:00

Since we mentioned last night that noone was bringing up topics that could really be expanded upon - here. From the comments section at SCC:

Anonymous said...
OEMC has the same probles that theCPD has. OEMC is undermanned, we're undermanned. OEMC has some people who are really good at their job and some who do very little and don't care, and nothing is done to the lazy employees. We do too.OEMC lets people out of training who should be fired before some one has to depend on them. Same thing for us. OEMC is as screwed up as the CPD.

9/26/2007 02:12:00 PM
Okay, let's expand on how undermanned we are, and how Operations is so short that every shift has so many regular overtime workers, that it's confusing to try to remember which watches people are actually assigned to.

Let's expand on how few people there are who are "really good at their jobs," as opposed to the ones you cringe about in roll call when you hear that you're stuck working with them for the whole tour.

Let's expand on how many people there are (Yes, there's about a 150-in-less-than-400 chance that you're one of them, in spite of your "self-importance" complex) who "should be fired before someone has to depend on them." Who never should've been let out of training. We can count on one hand the number of people who've been fired (not resigned on their own) from the training stage in the last 4 or 5 years.

Or, let's expand on how many people there are who at the job who truly have that sense of "entitlement," who think that things should be handed to them. How many people there are who feel that they should do a minimum of work while their partners/coworkers take up the slack? Who feel that there's absolutely nothing wrong with bringing their asses into work on an RDO making time-and-a-half or double-time while you, our friends, sit there earning straight-time pay and doing 1.5 times or 2 times the amount of work they're doing?

How about the ones who have a *different* sense of entitlement? You know, the ones who whine and cry about getting dumped from cushy spots and being subject to working with the "little people" they thumbed their noses at while they were detailed out? And now that they're back with the "peons," they do things like advocate job action via PCAD (brilliant) when situations don't go their ways (i.e., cancelling of days off), but when situations go their ways (i.e., non-cancelling of days off), damn everyone else to hell, and "So sorry for you?" And whine and cry even more when they get disciplined for advocating job action via PCAD while other people don't get disciplined for sending non-job-action messages via PCAD?

Note: Promoting job action is a terminable offense, so the punishment was pretty lenient considering. Simple "misuse of PCAD" is not. Read the contract. And don't keep any high hopes of winning that grievance. The OEMC world's bigger than you are; you're not the first person in almost 13 years to get singled out for a blatant offense. And did we mention that it was blatant?

Now you have a slew of topics to talk about. If none of these points affects/bothers you enough to spark a discussion, you might as well stop reading.

Just a thought

2007-09-27T00:00:00.000-05:00

Is anyone ever going to refill the hand sanitizer dispensers?

Once?

Maybe?

Anyone?

Misophobe to volunteer?

"Don't Blame Me."

2007-09-25T12:00:00.000-05:00

That's the headline on the front page of today's Scum-Times, courtesy of King Richard.

Sunday, said paper ran an article on the mayor's nephew, Robert Vanecko, and his partner, Allison Davis, an mayoral ally whom the article curiously described as "African-American" (he looked pretty Caucasian to us, but what do we know).

The two own a business venture, DV Urban Realty Partners. Okay, no big deal. the city entered into a deal with them last year, and they are now key investors in our (yes, you and us) pension fund. Okay, that's a big deal. But cut back to the previous paragraph, in which we mentioned that Vanecko is Daley's nephew. That's a HUGE deal. And yes, that's a double entendre.

We take "Ethics class" every year, lest we get fined $500 by the city. Can someone remind us of which part of the city' Code of *Ethics* (farce) specifies that your relatives can't benefit from your position within the city government? We're sure it's mentioned somewhere in so many words.

But, of course, the mayor has that covered with his usual bumbling, bullshit "innocent/ignorant" answers.

"Well, they have to make their professional decisions." "It could be any business." "I am not on that board."

Right, so on to the more important issue here. When/if your nephew runs our pensions into the ground, it's not your fault. When our pension plan gets taken away just like "Medical after 2013" because your NEPHEW'S investments take us under, it's not your fault.

We get it. You demand unfaltering support from the City Council, even though they're voted in by citizens. Your "loyal" supporters end up in enviable positions that theoretically report to you in city government, but have to take the fall when things go bad (or illegal) and you "had no knowledge" of what your allies were doing. But now your nephew claims he "never told" the connected pension boards that he was the mayor's blood relative.

Right. And that whole thing doesn't smack of numerous Ethics Code violations that the city would *separate* us for. And we're too stupid to realize that Dick places just enough space (Read: Lackeys) between himself and whoever's benefitting from his position to make it hard to prove those Ethics Code violations.

If our pension funds get worse, "Duh" Mayor will distance himself farther from the deal. If it remains as stable (?) as it is now, he go mute. If by some miracle it greatly improves, the mayor will proudly laud his nephew and himself.

How long did it take for him to get that April 2006 deal done, compared to the 2+ years it took us to get a contract ratified after the previous one had expired?

Thanks for pissing in our faces again, "Your Dishonor."

All Gone.

2007-09-25T00:00:00.000-05:00

Well, all remnants of the previous administration have officially moved on. R.H. is now ruining CTA (it was bad already, but he has the anti-Midas touch, as we ALL well know). M.K. has left, AV III and D.Z. are gone, both to the state if you believe our readers, and now B.O. has left the building

And hell, we even dropped C.G. for good measure as a bonus!

So now it's a new era. Or is it just going to be the same shit it's been for years, with yet another executive director who's going to smear the Ops Floor employees' faces with excrement?

Compensatory time

2007-09-13T00:05:00.000-05:00

Everyone knows (or maybe not) that Watch Managers are limited to the number of compensatory time hours they're allowed to grant us on a monthly basis. We don't recall the exact number, and maybe someone can correct us, but we believe it's between 400 and 500 hours. The latter would mean that 62 people can have the day off "time due," which pretty much amounts to 2 people per day.

Not a happy thought for those who have upwards of 100 (or even 50) hours on the books. Hell, if you have any time on the books, it's a bitch. We've gotten denied days off that we put in for *months* in advance because of "manpower shortages."

Well, the city got told by a federal judge that they aren't allowed to do that anymore - at least not to the police. The story can be found over at SecondCityCop, and at the FOP website.

Now, when the hell are we going to get some justice like that? The judge told the city that they're not allowed to use "manpower" as an excuse for denying time due, and have to hire people who want to work overtime to cover spots for those who want the day off (don't we hire a ton of people to work overtime almost every day already anyway?). Too bad it probably won't apply to us. To quote SCC:

If we're reading this correctly, if you have time on the books and want to use it, YOU CANNOT BE DENIED TIME OFF. Manpower is NOT an excuse. If the Department cannot field a car, they are either going to have to leave it unmanned, allow officers to trade days off with other officers, or pay time-and-a-half to people who are RDO (by seniority) to work the uncovered car. This is huge. The City has been told in no uncertain terms that they are subject to Federal Labor Law. Imagine that.
But as we all know, the city doesn't see us in the same light. They screw us over sooner/longer than they'll screw sworn personnel over, always have, and will continue to. They'll come up with some excuse to exempt us from "Federal Labor Law."

Anyone from the union reading this who might want to, say, bring this up at CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS, to make sure it's in print for us, too?

For all to see

2007-09-13T00:00:00.000-05:00

Per request:

Megan Aylward said...

Hi...any way you can put a post regarding the Pipes & Drums of the Emerald Society Chicago PD's 25th Anniversary concert? We've got 2 NY police pipe bands coming in on Thursday to help us celebrate the whole weekend. All info can be found at www.copsinkilts.com or you can email me at megan.aylward@chicagopolice.org.

Town Hall meeting next week.

2007-09-05T12:05:00.000-05:00

For all those who've pestered us about a new post - here.

What concerns do you want to address at the meeting? Are you going to speak up? Please do, don't be like so many coworkers who bitch and moan among coworkers, but become deathly mute as soon as bosses are within earshot.

Print it your damned self

2007-09-05T12:00:00.000-05:00

We can (and will actually have to) now print our own backlogs. Well, we technically could have before, but we weren't authorized to, and noone showed us how. But there's a training notice floating around, and supervisors will no longer print them for us (unless we're as dumb as bricks and can't figure out the simple task). For those who can't understand the training notice, which we admit is a tad confusing, here's a simpler,abbreviated set of instructions:

1. Right-click on the left monitor as if you were opening a 3270 screen (you do at least know to do that, we hope).
2. Instead of clicking "X3270," click "Print" right above it.
3. In the box that pops up, type in the date in the form of YYDDMM (i.e., 070905 today).
4. Click the "File" menu at the top left, select the second "Print..." option, and click on the diamond for Screen 1.
5. Repeat Step 4, clicking the diamond for Screen 2 instead.

See how easy that is? And now we don't have to wait indefinitely for a floor supervisor. Especially when there's only one working.

Durkin Park revisited.

2007-08-21T17:33:00.000-05:00

From a former Zone-6-1st-Watch Dispatcher, in the comments section.

Two morning gatherings are planned so far. Rain dates will be following weekend...same places...same times!!

25 August = 0600hrs = Skinner Park
26 August = 0600hrs = Marquette Park

We are providing Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, Chips and soda. If you want any other "beverages" you must bring your own.

Thank you for your continued support.

Karen Martin

email any questions directly to me at

DurkinParkSupport@gmail.com

Watch selections have been posted.

2007-08-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

And we know you're already fully aware of that, and we know you've already seen them. We aren't exactly posting this to tell you that.

We're posting this to give you an opportunity to gripe (and we know you're going to do that) about how PCO X did or didn't get which watch, and how you didn't get which watch.

And gripe all you want about management picks, just keep in mind that they're just those - *management picks*. How or why they pick them is at their discretion. And per the contract, that would be 20% of the manpower/watches. They owe us no explanation about how or why they pick certain people for certain watches - the only explanation we can reasonably expect is why people got watches by *bid/seniority*, which is kind of self-explanatory.

And don't try to pin the "management pick" label on us because of our point of view, either - we had enough seniority to get the watches we wanted by bid. Any argument to the contrary would be lost before it began.

And with those things in mind, please, carry on.

RAPs

2007-07-31T00:05:00.000-05:00

The most recent OEMC newsletter has a section on the back page discussing RAPs (backlogs, or Radio Assignments Pending events). It states, in so many words, that dispatchers who have backlogs should protect themselves by putting RAPS in.

That's sound advice, and you'd really be an idiot not to do so. But keep in mind that a RAP ticket isn't the be-all and end-all. Don't get lax, as some of us tend to do, once the backlog is in - having it in doesn't protect you if you have a unit become available and you still have "yellow" jobs. And trust us, if a complaint comes in about "Delay of dispatch," everything you did from the time that job came in until the time it was dispatched will be scrutinized. And you'll get nailed.

When it really comes down to it, backlogs only "protect" you to a certain extent. In some cases, it's to a negligible extent. We've been privy to people getting disciplined for delay of dispatch even when there was a backlog in. We won't go into details of certain instances, but what you think is an iron-clad alibi to put in that To-From, won't hold water if there's a citizen complaint about "It took one and a half hours for the police to come to my [initially] anonymous parking complaint." And if they need someone to hang it on, guess who's taking the fall?

You. If you haven't realized that in recent weeks, you have blinders on.

Anyone care to share stories? You've been using anonymity on the blog as a guise behind which to attack coworkers lately, how about using it for positive purposes this time. Use your experience to help others.

Some of you really don't get it.

2007-07-31T00:00:00.001-05:00

In light of recent events (Read: Durkin Park), supervisors are toughening up. They're finally feeling heat like we are, and they're finally being held accountable for the actions of their subordinates (us), which is actually how hierarchy tends to work. A lot of us have just forgotten about that because for so many years, supervisory feet haven't really been held to the fire.

We're not taking up for supervisors, and we're not siding with them. All we're saying is do your damned job - what can they say when you're totally on top of your game?

Okay, they can still say things if they don't like you or have a personal vendetta against you (is M.K. still reading this?). But when you do your job correctly, it minimizes the number of things they can "get" you on. There's no reason for you to be holding jobs just because you have a backlog in, and there's no reason for you to take a total of less than 80 calls when you're working in a 911-calltaker capacity for six and a half hours. If you're logged in for six and a half hours (and who really is), that equates to roughly 12 calls per hour, which equates to roughly one call every five minutes. While others are taking over 200 calls every day, which equates to roughly 30 calls per hour. Or roughly one call every two minutes.

We've heard of talk about how there's no SOP that states how many calls you have to take per day, and therefore there's no mandate. No. There isn't. And that's not what they're after you for, either. They're after you for being on busy for five minutes at a time while the rest of us get our asses kicked taking these calls. Stats are printed every day showing how long you were logged on, how many calls you took, and what percentage of the log-in time you spent on busy.

The "no SOP" argument works on "number of calls." It does NOT work on "I was on busy for about two hours out of six and a half." And if you can't get that one through your head and tidy up your work performance, then whose fault is it if you get gigged?

Stop trying to figure out ways/reasons to justify your laziness. And that laziness is another whole topic we'll post on in a couple of days, after we get verbally reamed by the lazy people who attack us for posting this little rant/warning.

Five posts for the price of one.

2007-07-27T00:10:00.001-05:00

Surprise. We updated. Plenty. They're not dissertations like the original Durkin Park post, but we don't think the posts are just mindless drivel to take up space - but we're sure you'll tell us otherwise if you so believe.

No comments under this one. You have five to choose from. Pick your poison. Read, post, & be merry.

Or be in whatever mindset the job puts you in. This should hold you over for a day or two while we either enjoy our RDO weekends, enjoy our suspensions, or just enjoy not thinking about the job while we're not working. Take your pick, we're not saying.

Remember we warned you about

2007-07-27T00:07:00.000-05:00

How you need to watch/cover your ass because if they blame you for screwing a citizen's life, it could screw your career?

We were thinking about, but forgot to mention in our 2-page dissertation, the fact that it's not only your career at risk - it's your financial well-being, too. And we don't mean standing broke in the unemployment line, although some of the people who collect unemployment seem to live more lavishly than our working-daily asses do.

We mean lawsuit. The two PCO IIs under investigation have been named in at least one lawsuit. If the city fires them (we hope the city won't, but we know the city), it's the city's way of saying:

They fucked up on their own. We set rules/guidelines, they didn't follow them, and we did what we had to do on our end. We've washed our hands of those horrible wrong-doers...go after them.

Whether we like to think about/admit it or not, and whether or not other people like to give us credit for it (Read: the PO who posted a comment about how the most stress we deal with is when relief is late, for example)? We hold people's lives in our hands. And if something goes wrong, it's not human nature to admit one's own fault.

It's human nature to blame all of the 10-year-old-fighting-me, boyfriend-kicking-my-ass-after-I-let-him-back-after-the-15th-time-he-kicked-my-ass, we-let-our-neighborhood-go-to-shit-because-we-didn't-raise-our-kids-right bullshit on someone else.

And that "someone else," our faithful coworkers, would include you and us.

A lot of people said...

2007-07-27T00:05:00.001-05:00

Ruiz is a good guy, he used to work here, he won't screw us over.

What are those people saying now? Either he's not all they said he is, or he's grossly misinformed and has no idea what we really do or deal with on a daily basis. The people who talked about how the place was looking up with him coming here have gone amazingly mute.

Speaking of Executive Directors,

2007-07-27T00:04:00.000-05:00

When the hell are we actually going to get one who knows or cares to find out exactly what we do? Maybe much of police brass has forgotten what it's like to be a PO on the street, but at least they - okay, more than half of them - actually were POs on the street before. And look at the problems they have on the other side of the radio from bosses who've "forgotten where they came from." At least there are ranks that they came from to forget. We're just slapped with E.D. after another with no clue. And each one seems to be farther removed from our reality than the last.

Problem is, these people have degrees (we believe, or so it's claimed), and they've majored in business administration or basket-weaving and such, but have never put on a headset to talk to a PO or a citizen.

Oh, what are we thinking, they don't put headsets on to do that, they go to community meetings and give us up like a drug habit.

You talk about a glass ceiling,

2007-07-27T00:03:00.000-05:00

We're thoroughly convinced that the next decade or two will not bring forth anyone who's worked his/her way up from the Operations Floor to a level/position that doesn't require being in uniform.

Unless, of course, it's some nice detail spot while you're still a PCO. We have people detailed off the floor who really never worked the floor on Madison. And probably never will.

But we still don't see any of them making it past floor supervisor, if that far. In the history of OEC, only two people (okay, three if you count J.A.) have made it from Operations to a position ranked higher than Watch Manager. One was a monumental fuck-up, one is in the corner office now.

And amazingly, the one who's there now was never a dispatcher or calltaker, and has more of a grasp on what we do than the MF (that's monumental fuck-up, not what you thought) who was both.

Watch your ass.

2007-07-27T00:00:00.000-05:00

There are more than just two PCOs staring face of termination. There are also plenty of suspensions getting handed down, 2 and 3 days at a time. We haven't heard of any 1-day suspensions at all. And, of course, it's not taking them long to mete out discipline. Our brethren are getting screwed before they even get a chance to bend over.

The city's gavel is swift. And hard. It must be made of wood instead of metal.

Durkin Park, Part 2, or maybe 3.

2007-07-24T00:05:00.000-05:00

We'd like to entertain the topic of how the dispatchers were served. One of them reported for work, and was told to turn in her work IDs, her headset, and even her parking sticker. As far as we know, the other one still hasn't been served. Rumor has it that they were to be served at their homes, but a cooler head or two allegedly prevailed and decided that wasn't the best option (although it did happen to a former employee around the beginning of the M.K. reign.

So, opinions on that, please. Try to keep it from turning into a mud-fest like the last thread. Although we must admit, we appreciate the fact that noone attempted to name the dispatchers/supervisors under investigation.

New open post

2007-07-24T00:00:00.000-05:00

For all of your gripes not related to the Durkin Park fiasco.

For starters, you might want to discuss how a large chunk of 1st Watch didn't show up for work this past Saturday night. Although that fact was much to the dismay of 3rd Watch employees who got mandated in droves, after the previous Saturday's events, can you blame 1st Watch?

Keep your damned criticism.

2007-07-20T12:00:00.000-05:00

Well, the media's in our asses again. At least it's not the front page, but it's the editorial page of the Sun-Times. As usual, shock value and half-stories prevail. For those of you who are starting refusals to patronize media outlets (Good man/woman), we'll dice the editorial up into misinformed excerpts here. And they can take this information and print it in their rag.

It took an appalling 26 minutes for dispatchers to direct police to a bloody brawl.

Okay, that's already a known fact. What's not widely known is the reason(s) why. The investigation just began this week. You've printed that officials say it should be done within 30 days. Jumping the gun, perhaps?

Officials said the response time...should be 2 to 3 minutes.

Right, in spite of police department general orders that allow for 10 minutes to dispatch Priority 1 calls. In spite of the general citizen belief that in a city of 3,000,000+ citizens, there are enough police to address everyone's "issue" immediately. Keep believing misinformed "officials" who can't decide whether we take 57 million or 2 billion calls a year.

...Not everyone left adrift of the 911 system is so lucky. In 2002, [Ronyale White] call 911 four times before she was shot to death by her estranged husband.

And it was determined that the call was dispatched within the established time parameters. There was effectively no delay in the dispatch of that initial call, and it was officially determined that the officers who were dispatched within those time parameters did not respond in a timely manner. But all that information detracts from the mud-slinging aimed at us. [PCOs: We TELL you that if they can pin it on you, they will. Even if it's NOT your fault.]

Hundreds of 911 calls are made a day.

Really? Try thousands. On a busy day in the summer, we can easily surpass 20 thousand 911 calls in a 24-hour period. And on the best of days, there are less than 40 people assigned per hour to handle up to 1,200 calls in that hour.

Not to mention, what about your quotes of "57 million" and "2 billion" per year? 57 million calls a year is 156,000+ calls per day. But saying "hundreds" minimizes our jobs instead of acknowledging how much work we do well. Now that something's gone wrong, we're just pieces of shit to blame things on.

It would be unreasonable to expect a flawless performance by dispatchers and police. But there is no room for error when lives are at risk.

Then hire robots. You can't put stipulations on what should and shouldn't be flawless. Either you expect flawlessness or you don't. How can you admit unreasonable expectations, and in the next sentence say the opposite? Self-contradictory statements hold no water.

At the very least, there should be no second chances for dispatchers and police who compromise or undermine this system.

So then the policy should be "Revolving Door." You keep your job until you *allegedly* fuck up once. Then you're out the door to make room for the next sucker to hang around until he/she "fucks up" and gets thrown to the wolves. The 3rd Floor Atrium might as well have an alligator pit dug out in the middle of it.

We recall a time a couple of years back when CPD had a "Media Day" of sorts. When the media laid weeks of hell on the department for police shootings, CPD invited the media to do simulations at the range, and they found out that the job they were criticizing wasn't the simple task they assumed it to be.

And we think that OEC Administration should do the same. Invite the media to sit in with 911 calltakers and dispatchers and find out firsthand what a stressful, daunting job we undertake every day.

But that's a pipe dream. We'd have to be backed and not get "thrown under the bus." We'd have to be *believed in* and have someone on our side.

Durkin Park

2007-07-20T00:00:00.000-05:00

If you haven't heard about the Durkin Park incident then you're either been asleep in roll call or you seclude yourself from the lot of your coworkers. And it also means you haven't paid attention to the news.

You can see the Executive Director's official OEMC press conference on the matter at CLTV if you scroll down through the video panel. It's entitled "OEMC Durkin Park press conference."

You can also see an article in the Daily Southtown, yesterday's front page of which said very boldly that two 911 dispatchers have been suspended, which was incorrect. They've been placed on administrative leave with pay. At least we can say that they weren't stripped of their due process and immediately placed on suspension, the prospect of which had several people on the Ops Floor up in arms.

And of course NBC 5 joined in, since they're always the quickest to report on OEMC wrongdoings. You can read their latest article here, and see a video snippet here.

We don't know what else was or wasn't going on on the zone during the time of the incident, but we've worked Zone 6 and were amazed at just how busy it is, and how many things are going on at one time. It includes Districts 007 and 008. 007 is an absolute hellhole, and 008 is questionably the largest (geographically speaking) district in the city. 008 is so big that 10-sector cars don't respond to 30-sector jobs because the sectors are literally several miles apart.

It takes a certain skill level to work Zone 6 on a regular basis, and as with everything else in a public safety job, it's not recognized publicly. In fact, in the 12-year history of OEC, we have yet to see a news story where an employee was lauded for the job he/she did. Noone in public safety (except for the fire department and, occasionally, the police department) gets any kind of recognition in the public eye until something goes wrong. And unfortunately in this situation, things went horribly wrong.

We won't comment on the ongoing investigation, and we won't speculate on why the job didn't get put out, and we won't mention who the dispatchers are who were involved (and you won't either, not even by initials this time, no matter how poignant the rest of your comment is). But we ourselves are waiting to find out what was going on that kept the call from going out before it did. We're hoping that the PCO IIs will have solid reasoning for their sake (and for the sake of all of us, indirectly). But we're honestly befuddled.

And we ALL know that they're going to be used as examples. So are the supervisors who are being investigated (you won't name or initial them, either). In the NBC 5 video snippet from the community meeting following the incident, the executive director is quoted as saying:

I'm very unhappy with the way the dispatchers handled the situation.

Huh? Excuse us? We must have missed the whole part about how the situation is under investigation, and no determination is being made until the investigation is completed. We must have also missed the whole "apparently handled" disclaimer that would give an indication that "No, we haven't already decided that you're fucked."

The crowd broke into applause immediately following that statement by the E.D. Of course they're going to love it when even the boss of the people they're blaming sides with them. We imagined the whole huge crowd turning into vampires lusting after the blood of the PCO IIs, and breaking through the ceiling to fly across the city to find them. Maybe that's why NBC cut the scene so abruptly.

We also believe we missed the outrage over these teens who run rampant through the neighborhood wreaking havoc, and the explanation for where the hell their parents were and why they didn't know that their children were involved an what's been described as a riot at 10:15 at night. That could be because the news focused on hanging dispatchers, but who knows.

Where the hell were the parents? How long has this problem been going on? How aware/unaware of it were district personnel? Are we too stupid/too naive/too quick to sweep things under the rug, to face the apparent racial motivation for the attack here? Why the hell, when sergeants can (and do) monitor pending events as they're supposed to, they can tell dispatchers "Event number such&such is a 19P/5P" but were just nowhere to be heard when all of these calls came in about 8445 S. Kolin? It smacks of traffic pursuits where we almost had to redline sergeants because noone would answer up for the notification thereof.

But we digress. We're not trying to render the PCOs blameless, but we are trying to touch on points that the media neglects to keep the shock value of their story.

Also quoted from the E.D.:

When these investigations are concluded, we will issue appropriate discipline, possible termination.

You hear that, people? You're being watched (moreso than you know, more on that later). You're being scrutinized. You're in a position where you can play a major role in whether or not someone lives or dies. You're in a position where if something goes wrong and police/fire/OEC administration can pin the blame on you, you're up the creek without a paddle. We tend to get complacent with the day-in-day-outs of the job, and forget all of these things. It's the same thing every day, the same calls, the same people calling. And we get tired and frustrated. And our Giving-A-Damn meter falls into limbo. Complacency kills. It could kill a citizen, which in turn would kill your career.

We're not saying to internalize the job, and take it home with you. Not by any means, it would be hypocritical (you'll notice this is the first blog update in weeks, because we try to leave the job at the job). What we're saying is cover/watch your ass. Those PCOs we're all feeling worried for? It's going to be one of us next time.

And there WILL be a next time. Trust us.

And head over to Second City Cop. Lot of comments on their post about the topic.

Power Watches shall return

2007-06-27T12:00:00.000-05:00

Posted today in the CO book was notice that the Power watches will be re-implemented. New watch bids will take place within what we assume to be the next month.

There's a lot of joy going around the floor, mainly because of the four consecutive 3-day weekends that come with being on Power. We haven't heard where any recalls, though, the fact that we earn 8 hours of medical time at the beginning of every month, but if you hit medical on a Power watch you have to use TEN hours. But we won't concern ourselves with that now.

We'll concern ourselves with the facts that this is sure to cut down on mandatory overtime, and the Deputy Director is actually listening to our opinions and trying to right some of the morale-draining, operations-ruining wrongs of his predecessor.

Also amazing?

2007-06-26T00:00:00.000-05:00

According to the comments section, CG is also gone.

Any truth to this one, or is it just another false rumor?

Amazing.

2007-06-22T00:00:00.000-05:00

Apparently, today is Our Former Fearless Leader's last day at OEC. She's rumored to be leaving for the Water Department.

Anyone else up for some time in the OC on 2nd Watch now?

Oh, and take a good look at your next water bill, lest you end up paying upwards of $1,000.

Good idea.

2007-06-21T01:30:00.000-05:00

Hey blogmaster...instead of a thread bashing the hard working, dumped-upon supervisors, let's talk about our co-workers who expect to come to work and get paid for doing next to nothing (and several while on overtime!!!) They do nothing more than steal a paycheck, in my opinion.

We agree wholeheartedly. And even though we can just imagine how nasty this thread could get (we'll be monitoring it closely), here's another open post.

A post to vent your gripes about lazy ass, sleep-on-the-job-because-they-work-too-much-overtime, work-double-shifts-and-do-a-fraction-of-the-work, spend-more-time-walking-than-sitting-at-the-console coworkers.

This could yield one of the highest comment counts in the ten months this blog has in existence.

Wait

2007-06-21T01:25:00.000-05:00

Ten months? Really? Time flies.

Imagine that

2007-06-16T20:05:00.000-05:00

As of this writing, we're enjoying cool air conditioning, but we understand that 3rd Watch roll call got a little warm. Seems that a couple of supervisors' "people skills" (or lack thereof) were brought to the attention of the watch manager, and he plans to address said supervisors.

On that note, here's an open post to vent your gripes about problems or issues you've had with supervisors. No first and/or last names this time, please.

Positive experiences are welcome also, although they don't tend to be as amusing or entertaining.

Good going

2007-06-15T12:00:00.000-05:00

Congratulations are in order. Per the Illinois Labor Board, Supervising PCOs are now unionized and represented by the Teamsters as of today.

Any chance that we can switch to a union that'll actually benefit us more than IBEW "works" to?

Oops

2007-06-15T11:55:00.000-05:00

According to News of the Weird, a British man is considering filing suit against a hospital where he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer two years ago. He was told that he'd die within a year, so he quit his job, gave away possesions, and exhausted his savings "living it up." Turns out all he had was pancreatitis. So now he's still alive and broke.

Here's an idea.

2007-06-14T00:00:00.000-05:00

Since they're installing new consoles (although heaven only knows when they're going to start), we think they should be personalized. They probably won't switch over the bulk of what's currently on the consoles (This blog's ad magnets that noone ever notices, SOPs, various zone-specific notes, etc...).

We hope the new consoles are nice (although we maintain that anything's an improvement), but in an effort to make ourselves all feel more at home with decorations, we propose the installation of one of these on every brand new console.

Hell, we'll even pay the total cost out of pocket for them as a "public service." They should be installed at double-size on the calltaker side, since we're expected to be "customer service representatives" now.

Contract Negotions, Part I

2007-06-12T00:05:00.000-05:00

We credit a source for this, we weren't actually there.

The union wants what CPD is asking for, which includes a 24% pay increase over 4 years, less healthcare costs out of pocket, and an annual stipend in lieu of the lifting of residency requirement. We personall prefer the lifting of the residency requirement so we can be released from the tax-thirsty grasp of this godforsaken shithole, but we digress.

Also up for discussion are duty availability pay for all PCOs (we like); guidelines for when mandatory OT can be invoked by management, which would not include the staff shortages that are inherent in a public safety outfit that's poorly staffed to begin with; and specific rules which govern voluntary overtime. That's to so more clarification about does straight seniority 1st/2nd RDO or "my watch" get called first.

As for those surveys, rotating-seniority mandatory OT which rotates among everyone will stay. It was a close vote, but it won. Annual seniority will be fixed in the future, and the subject of pay increases was the sweeping main concern among PCOs, although OJT, wage compression (Read: It takes me a shorter time to reach top pay), and detail positions were also major concerns among pcos.

Disappointing turnout, though. Out of roughly 400 PCOs and ACOs, only 175 surveys were turned in. If you didn't turn one in (we did), and you don't speak up formally before the contract is ratified (you have at least 2 years), then feel free to STFU when something you dread stays in place or becomes policy. In fact, please STFU if such will be the case.

Open discussion, that is all for now.

Sanitizer dispensers.

2007-06-12T00:00:00.000-05:00

They're next to all of the swipe/pinkeye-festering machines. Yay.

We were prepared before?

2007-06-04T00:05:00.000-05:00

Okay, so we're a couple of days late. We have lives, you know.

The Sun-Times reports that Cortez Trotter has resigned his position as "Chief Emergency Officer."

Ability to handle a disaster is in question with three top spots vacant

We must have missed something, then, because most of the people in Operations questioned the city's ability to "handle a disaster." One should have heard all the buzz around the floor about the Olympics bid, and how ill-prepared we'd be for organized chaos. The city has a few football fields to cover before it's close to being prepared for any disaster of sorts.

Remember Loopalooza? Or Loopzilla, or whatever it was called? Yeah, we barely remember it too, because not much mention of it was made at the job beforehand. And a walk through downtown during the night showed a lack of police coverage, which in turn means of a lack of communications coverage, failure on the part of the city [again] to prepare for a non-disaster.

Trotter's departure isn't going to change anything in terms of how prepared we are or aren't.

It's always been the latter.

Misophobes, rejoice.

2007-06-04T00:00:00.000-05:00

There have been 3 cases of pink eye at Corporation Counsel since the installation of the palm readers.

Good News.

2007-05-22T12:10:00.000-05:00

We're finally getting new consoles. After 12 years of the dusty, antiquated bullshit we've been accustomed to, replacement will begin within a few weeks, starting with the PCTs. No word on what the design will look like (of course noone would ask the people who actually have to live with the consoles 24/7/365). But how could it not be an improvement over what we have now?

Bad news

2007-05-22T12:05:00.000-05:00

They're replacing consoles during the summer, with a targeted completion date in September. PCO Is will be moved to the 311 building while the PCT consoles are replaced (You think you got parking problems NOW). We foresee a lot more aggravation and frustration in our near future.

Comments not allowed on this post. Anything to say, say it under "Good news." They're related. Simplifies things.

Pretty much.

2007-05-22T12:00:00.000-05:00

LEOMemorial writes:

when you're taking calls, is it so busy (and shorthanded) that you have calls waiting for you?

Not 100% of the time. But there are plenty of times in any shift when there are more than five 911 calls are waiting for service, sitting unanswered. The fortunate thing is that most of them are from those damned cell phones that were misdialed. In fact, we don't have hard numbers, but we'd bet that well over 50% of 911 calls don't get sent to zones to be dispatched. That would be mainly due to the high number of idiots who accidentally (or idiot children who purposely) dial 911 with no desire or need for service.

Here's a good laugh, though. The most calls we've seen waiting unanswered totalled 90-plus. We have a picture of the banner board from that time, if anyone can guess when it's from. We won't post it and get caught up on "unauthorized dissemination," but surely all any PCO has to do is wait until this summer to see it for him/herself. There are 4 unanswered calls as of this writing.

We've been hiding, but

2007-05-18T00:00:00.000-05:00

This topic brings us out.

Rumor has it that during yesterday's staff meeting, it was decreed that time due is to be denied across the board if anyone is working overtime on a shift.

For those who have more trouble comprehending basic notions and need everything spelled out:

If anyone is working an extension on your shift on tomorrow's date, that time due you put in for 11 months ago will be denied.

If anyone is working his/her RDO on your shift on tomorrow's date, that time due you put in for 11 months ago will be denied.

We can't confirm it - hence the word "rumor." Nor have we seen anything in writing stipulating such. But if it's true, we see a lot of misery in the future, at least more than there already is. Family functions? Fuck 'em. Need the day off because 6 days on-2 days off is wearing on you 3 months after furlough? Fuck it. At this point, you'll be feigning illness if you need the day off. That's the only way you're going to get it.

Okay, okay, you'll be feigning illness more often than you already do.

Surely you all realize that on any given day, on practically all three watches, someone is working overtime in some way, shape, or form. And all of this before the summer's even in full swing. So for them to tell us that time due will be denied if one soul is working on a shift at overtime pay, is basically to tell us that all of our time due is denied well in advance. If you're one of those who have literally hundreds of hours of compensatory time built up, consider thyself shat upon. You now have it for nothing. Indefinitely, or until City Hall hires enough PCOs to fully staff Operations, or until you retire and cash your hours out. We'd bet a whole paycheck on the latter coming first.

We anxiously await the comments that're sure to come on this post. And by the way, we appreciate the way you all have kept the comment sections decent in our absence (although we were still watching the whole time).

We'll see you at work.

Every day.

Absolutely every day.

For a long time.

Someone asked for a new post, here's one.

2007-05-11T12:00:00.000-05:00

Anonymous said...

* NEWS FLASH * New Executive Director of OEMC* NEWS FLASH *

Bryan Murphy. Currently 1st Deputy Chief of Staff in Mayor Office

Any takers?

2007-04-22T00:00:00.000-05:00

It seems that there's a problem finding a dispatcher to work in the OC on 2nd Watch. The Deputy Director sent out a memo, now in the C.O. book, seeking volunteers to work across the hall on Days.

They're even trying to sweeten the deal by offering a Saturday/Sunday day-off group to any volunteers. But they're in such dire need that they had to throw in the old "reverse seniority will be used" clause in case there are no volunteers.

Guess the old demoted Acting Deputy Director is still like a cancer on the growth and forward movement of OEC. There can't possibly be any other reason why people would avoid the OC like the plague, especially given that there weren't people clamoring to avoid it before she got reassigned over there. She's not allowed near us on the Operations floor anymore, and noone wants to be remotely close to where she has to be, either.

Goodbye.

2007-04-20T00:00:00.000-05:00

According to NBC 5 News, Daley is pushing for Huberman to become the next CTA president, now that Frank Kruesi has announced his resignation. We assume that the rubber stamp known as the City Council would have to vote on it. We know how THAT would go.

At least in that capacity, all of you POs who'd be in an all new Hell if he became supt., and all of us PCOs who know he'd have a hand in the pot at OEC, can rest a bit more easily, although he might still meddle to some extent.

We still wonder, though: Would he still be on "active" status with the department, toting a gun and a "brass" star.

The Olympics

2007-04-14T12:00:00.000-05:00

It was just announced that they'll be in Chicago. Word is that there are other countries vying for the Olympics, and that it will be in Chicago if the Committee decides on the U.S.

Here's to having the 2016 Olympics in Djibouti. We dread the thought of how that summer would be for us and the police department and, to a certain extent, the fire department.

Updates as time and new information permit.

Guns in schools

2007-04-10T12:00:00.000-05:00

According to the Tribune and NBC 5 News, two CVS (Chicago Vocational High School for the north siders) were *accidentally* shot while one of them showed a handgun off to the other one in 8th period science class.

That makes the second shooting this year at CVS. Not this school year. This calendar year.

A perfect example of why it's hard for us as city workers to have families while being forced to live in the city (or is that "shitty?") on a city salary. With the exception of a small handful of decent schools in the Chicago Public school system, if we want our children to get decent educations, or we at least want to not have to worry about them get to and from the educational institution safely, we have to pay for them to go to private schools.

And when we were children, we oddly only recall people getting a few lumps here and there after school. We don't remember worrying about getting bullet holes during class. The times, they have a-changed. And they're not going to get any better any time soon.