Firefighters for a Safer East Chicago

East Chicago Professional Firefighters Local 365 is adamantly against the reelection of East Chicago Mayor, Anthony Copeland, in the 2023 election, who has put the well-being of firefighters and community members at risk. Donate to our PAC (political action committee) to help us ensure the Mayor can never make decisions that affect our brothers and sisters again.

A Timeline of Threats

Ahead of the City’s 2019 primary election, the East Chicago Professional Firefighters Local 365 Union PAC endorsed candidates for Mayor and the Common Council that were supportive of public safety in an effort to combat efforts over the previous 6 years by the Mayor and the Council to reduce staffing, cut benefits, and create a hostile working environment.

Although Mayor Anthony Copeland was reelected, six out of the eight PAC-endorsed candidates also won, shifting the political power that the Mayor had previously held.

On May 8, the day after the election, political retaliation amped up. Then-Fire Chief, Tony Serna, issued multiple memorandums transferring and moving politically active members to different shifts and days, and eliminating long-standing policies.  

In the following months, the Union met to discuss the 2020 Salary Ordinance for firefighters with the Common Council; this was important as the firefighters had not been given a raise in several years. It was clear the Common Council planned to draft an ordinance that would restore many of the benefits that Mayor Copeland had previously cut (including restoration of sick time, longevity pay, and other financial benefits that the Mayor gutted in 2010). These restored benefits would have been good for the firefighters and the community as they would help ensure we were able to attract qualified candidates and could keep experienced firefighters at East Chicago.  

This 2020 Salary Ordinance incited the Mayor Anthony Copeland. Chief Serna warned the Union to stay out of politics, and the Mayor and Chief went on local radio bashing the ordinance, the Union and Council to sway public opinion. Although the 2020 Ordinance originally passed, the Mayor ultimately vetoed it, and the Council was unable to override his veto.

Chief Serna continued to threated the Union, telling Union President David Mata that they were going to institute a new, harmful, 8-hour shift schedule because the Union had “showed [it’s] hand.”  

Threats Made Good by the Mayor

On December 2, 2019, the Union met with Chief Serna and Deputy Chief Escobedo. The meeting ended with a suggestion by the Fire Chief that the Union could convince the Mayor to drop the new schedule if they agreed to cease negotiations over future salary ordinances with the Council.

On December 3, we informed Fire Chief Serna that the Union would NOT sign away our rights.  

The very next day, on December 4, Chief Serna issued a series of Department memorandums that restructured the fire department from the standard 24/48-hour schedule to a rotating 8-hour schedule, creating a fourth shift and taking an engine out of service.

The Impact of a Rotating 8-Hour Schedule

The 8-hour schedule change had a profound impact on the well-being of our firefighters. Their personal lives were upended by working ever-changing shifts. Whereas one shift may be overnight, the next could be in the evening. Our brothers and sisters shared they were extremely sleep-deprived and under extreme stress. Staff retention suffered, dropping from 76 firefighters to 55, and recruitment stalled.

The new schedule also provided less resources to the community. The schedule resulted in less firefighters per shift, with no cost savings to the city, and took an engine out of service.

The Fight for Our Rights

In May 2021, East Chicago Professional Firefighters Local 365, with nearly 40 individual firefighters, filed a lawsuit against the City, Mayor Anthony Copeland, and Fire Chief Serna for violating our First Amendment rights to engage in political speech and other activities. We also requested that the Court enter a preliminary injunction to restore our schedule.

Following a hearing on the preliminary injunction, the district court ruled in our favor, and found that it was clear that the schedule had been imposed in retaliation for our First Amendment activities. The judge ordered the City to restore the traditional 24/48 hour schedule. While the City complied, they appealed the injunction in the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, which we also won.

Stand with East Chicago Firefighters

Historically in East Chicago, the winner of the Primary Election wins the General Election. It is therefore critical that we educate voters ahead of the May 2023 Primary Election about the actions of Mayor Copeland which have threatened firefighter safety, health, and our ability to provide efficient and safe services. This is important to both the firefighters and the community. We cannot allow the Mayor to have 4 more years of decision-making power. Stand with us!  Donate to our PAC to enable us to keep the Mayor out of office.