Chicago mayor, city police union square off in lawsuits over vax mandate

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot's office is squaring off against a powerful city police union over the city's vaccine mandate, with both the mayor's office and the union filing lawsuits to force the other's hand in the matter. 

Lightfoot's office has ordered all city employees to be injected with the COVID-19 vaccine, while Fraternal Order of Police Chicago Lodge #7 President John Catanzara has urged union members to defy the mandate. 

The FOP lawsuit is attempting to force the city into arbitration over its vaccine reporting requirement, hoping to subject the requirement to a collective bargaining process. 

Lightfoot, meanwhile, is arguing that the union is "engaging in, supporting, and encouraging a work stoppage or strike," something that is against both state law and the FOP's contract with the city.