The statement below is directly from the email notice sent to all City Unions today.
“The purpose of this email is to remind you, our Union representatives, that the Sick Leave Policy Addendum expires on March 31, 2022, as expressly stated in the City of Chicago COVID-19 Vaccination Policy. After March 31, 2022, paid time off for COVID-19 is no longer available. Employees unable to work will need to use existing benefit time, apply for a leave of absence, apply for FMLA, or return to work if able.”
According to the New York Times we may be in the midst of a possible surge of the virus “…. a highly transmissible subvariant of omicron has become the dominant strain of the coronavirus in the U.S.
Many health experts warn the nation is unprepared for another wave of infections, partly because there is a lack of federal funds for testing and treatments.
…the so-called stealth omicron, known officially as BA.2, now accounted for 55% of new cases reported in the U.S. in the week ending Saturday. The subvariant fueled a surge in cases in Europe.”
Yet the City in its infinite wisdom has cancelled paid time off for those who may be directly exposed or have contracted the virus that they, seem so obsessed with, until now. Now it’s OK to come to work sick or don’t get paid! We have all seen the memo’s which say the exact opposite, but now that they have used and drained our members who have worked every day since the Pandemic began over 24 months ago, they no longer care if you are sick, just come to work or go broke, your choice. That’s a great way to treat the men and women who kept this city clean and running through this entire ordeal. Great respect for your employees, City of Chicago. You should all be ashamed of yourselves, this was never about safety, the bottom line is it’s about MONEY. This is a giant knife in the back of every employee of the City of Chicago.
