The Inspector General’s Office has issued a report and recommendation resulting from an ongoing investigation of overtime payments to exempt members of the Chicago Fire Department (CFD) who are not included in Fire Fighters Local 2 Agreement with the City of Chicago. The investigation revealed that CFD exempt employees earned considerable overtime payments in the midst of dire economic times while the City is implementing sweeping budget cutbacks, including City-wide unpaid mandatory furlough days and holidays. The report recommends, among other things, a global audit of CFD overtime payments to exempt personnel and an analysis to determine how the skyrocketing payment of straight overtime payments can be dramatically curtailed or altogether eliminated while maintaining operationally-necessary staffing.
