not much currently in the news about ohio, which recently (august 5) changed its reporting rules and is doing regular flu-season surveillance, and not reporting case numbers any more. i'm not able to find out whether there is increased flu in cincinnati, which is the only reason this story might have some significance. in fact, the latest story (link above) says nothing at all about actual cases of swine flu in ohio. so it's very difficult to tell if this is industrial action, or a reflection of an unreported flu outbreak.
Last Updated: 4:48 pm | Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Chief: Fire some 'blue flu' cops
By Jane Prendergast: jprendergast@enquirer.com
August 11, 2009
Cincinnati Police Chief Tom Streicher is furious about what he believes was a “blue flu” outbreak over the weekend and says new officers still on probation will be fired if he can prove they weren’t actually sick.
He was driving and did not have the exact total of sick reports with him. But as an example, he said of two entire overnight shifts in District 1, three people showed up to work Friday night.
“If somebody gets their head blown off because we didn’t have enough backup, then that’s on their backs,” Streicher said this afternoon. “It’s an absolute violation of law. If they looked inside their heart and looked inside their soul, they would know they did something very, very wrong.”
He said he was notified Friday night that an unusual number of officers had called in sick.[/]b No area was left unprotected, he said, because officers who would normally have been assigned to other duties took over for the missing officers. The number of officers sick on Saturday also was larger than usual, he said, but Sunday’s schedule seemed to return to normal.[/]b
About half a dozen of those who called in sick, he said, are still on probation.
Probationers have no rights to appeal, so any of them he can prove weren’t actually sick can be fired permanently. He ordered the probationers’ supervisors to notify him in writing by Thursday that they had personally informed the probationers about the chief’s feelings on blue flu. Any more veteran officers who might have encouraged the probationers to call in sick, he said, should know those terminations are on their shoulders.
Kathy Harrell, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, said Monday she didn’t know of any blue flu. She did say, though, that 138 officers being told they could lose their jobs Sept. 6 with even more expecting to be laid off next year prompts stress because they could lose their homes or be forced to relocate.
"That’s going to affect them greatly – mentally, physically – and if the stress of that is causing them to be sick then they are going to use their sick time that they are contractually entitled to."
Last Updated: 4:48 pm | Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Chief: Fire some 'blue flu' cops
By Jane Prendergast: jprendergast@enquirer.com
August 11, 2009
Cincinnati Police Chief Tom Streicher is furious about what he believes was a “blue flu” outbreak over the weekend and says new officers still on probation will be fired if he can prove they weren’t actually sick.
He was driving and did not have the exact total of sick reports with him. But as an example, he said of two entire overnight shifts in District 1, three people showed up to work Friday night.
“If somebody gets their head blown off because we didn’t have enough backup, then that’s on their backs,” Streicher said this afternoon. “It’s an absolute violation of law. If they looked inside their heart and looked inside their soul, they would know they did something very, very wrong.”
He said he was notified Friday night that an unusual number of officers had called in sick.[/]b No area was left unprotected, he said, because officers who would normally have been assigned to other duties took over for the missing officers. The number of officers sick on Saturday also was larger than usual, he said, but Sunday’s schedule seemed to return to normal.[/]b
About half a dozen of those who called in sick, he said, are still on probation.
Probationers have no rights to appeal, so any of them he can prove weren’t actually sick can be fired permanently. He ordered the probationers’ supervisors to notify him in writing by Thursday that they had personally informed the probationers about the chief’s feelings on blue flu. Any more veteran officers who might have encouraged the probationers to call in sick, he said, should know those terminations are on their shoulders.
Kathy Harrell, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, said Monday she didn’t know of any blue flu. She did say, though, that 138 officers being told they could lose their jobs Sept. 6 with even more expecting to be laid off next year prompts stress because they could lose their homes or be forced to relocate.
"That’s going to affect them greatly – mentally, physically – and if the stress of that is causing them to be sick then they are going to use their sick time that they are contractually entitled to."
Last edited: