(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Mayor Brandon Johnson has rescinded a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for city workers while lawsuits over it continue to work their way through the courts.
The Fraternal Order of Police has been fighting the requirement since the Lightfoot administration imposed it in 2021. Lodge 7 President John Catanzara says the city pulled back the testing requirement two years ago for officers who refused to get vaccinated.
“I mean, it's been an irrelevant policy for well over two years at this point, so why it took so long to rescind is beyond me.”
He says the city’s HR department notified him on Monday of the move.
“It's never too late to do the right thing. Drop the court case, make everybody whole. Let's move on from this nightmare that was COVID and whatever the civil litigation is,” Catanzara said.
Now he says the city should expunge the records of those disciplined and reinstate lost pay and benefits plus interest, as the state Labor Relations Board ruled.
The city appealed the ruling to the Illinois Appellate Court.
Catanzara hopes with it gone, more recruits will join the police department.
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