ICOPS Are Not My Cops

A Jabbo Labor Day Special Edition
So, the other night while enjoying a bowl of home-made dirty rice and watching whatever it was Aine said we were going to watch on TV, the home phone rang. This didn't seem particularly odd: it rings all the time. I rarely get telemarketers, but I get four or five wrong numbers a week.

The farm boy on the other end struggling with his grammar told me he was calling on behalf of the Illinois Council of Police and Sheriffs. He said they collected charitable donations to support Police Officers and Sheriffs, they supplied officers with Kevlar vests, something about a fund to provide legal fees, blah blah blah. He said they could send me information in the mail and I could use the envelope provided to send them a check.

When you have cops in the family, it's not as easy to take the N.W.A. stance on law enforcement. I asked not what my country could do for me. I said send me your information.

He said, you know, if you wanted to make a donation now, over the phone, we do accept credit and debit. I LOL'd. No, I said, send me your information in the mail. Then he said something indistinct that sounded like, mumble mumble mumble, can't claim this on your taxes, kthanxbai.

That's weird, I thought.

I awaited eagerly the arrival of my letter from ICOPS, checking the mail each day with breathless anticipation. A few days later, I received the long awaited correspondence.

They even sent me a Back The Badge bumper sticker. I couldn't contain my excitement. I started reading the letter before I made it back to the bedroom to get my checkbook.

It said, "The Illinois Council of Police is a labor union..."

Quoi?

I skimmed down to the bulleted list of altruistic destinations my contribution would reach. Among them: "Help us promote our legislative agenda..." There was something about Kevlar vests and teddy bears, so that made me feel a little better. Union President Norm Frese signed the letter, Professionally Mine. Also, he thanked me for my kind and generous support.

This didn't turn out to be the Widows and Orphans sort of charity I had anticipated, so I researched them on the Internets.

Here's a letter from the aforementioned Mr. Frese (Holy Ugly Truth, Batman!) to the Secretary of the Federal Trade Commission, asking for an exception in the National Do Not Call Registry established several years ago. He says, "We are a membership organization, not a charity." (Bam! Kapow!)

Then I found a press release from Greg Sullivan, Executive Director of the Illinois Sheriff's Association (not a Union, as far as I can tell, they support Sheriffs across the state with training, information, and they offer scholarships). According to Mr. Sullivan, ICOPS is a small labor union that represents law enforcement in Northern Illinois, the bulk in Cook County.

Finally, when it comes to all things legal and law enforcement related, few groups are as informed as the Gun Nuts. To them I turned for the juicy details. The fine folks at AR15.com (this is my forum, there are many like it, but this one is mine) had these tidbits to add: ICOPS usually only buys one Kevlar vest a month and gives it to a union member, some years (2007 for instance) they only give away one vest, and while they originally used 20% of what you sent them for charitable work and kept the other 80% to support their legislative agenda, ICOPS has since reduced the portion to 10%.

Do what you want with your money, but my recommendation: Do Not Buy.

What Is Labor Day?
George Pullman, inventor of the Pullman Car (a railroad sleeper car) opened a plant in Illinois, just south of Chicago. He organized a planned community around the plant and named it Pullman, Illinois. A factory town, if you will: Pullman owned the house, the stores, everything.

A railroad bubble (caused by overbuilding and wild financial speculation in railroads) burst in 1893, plunging the US into a depression (worse than 2008, not as bad as 1930), called the Panic of 1893.

Pullman, in order to keep the bottom line happy, slashed wages at his plant and laid off workers, but kept rents the same. This didn't make his workers happy. In the summer of 1894, 4 thousand workers walked off the job. They call this a Wildcat Strike, a spontaneous strike not authorized by union leaders. None of these workers belonged to a union anyway.

Eugene Debs, famous union leader, rushed in, signed the workers to the American Railway Union, and called an official strike against the plant. This didn't have any effect. So Debs expanded the strike to all railroad workers in the US to stop the movement of any Pullman car on any track anywhere.

The strike blossomed into a beautiful chaos flower glistening with morning dew. At the high water mark, 250 thousand workers in 27 states joined the strike. Subsequent riots and sabotage caused 30 deaths and 80 million dollars in damage. This became known as Deb's Rebellion.

This picture shows strikers faced off against Illinois National Guard in front of the Arcade Building in Pullman. Isn't that a gorgeous building? Look at those mansard roofs.

The strike eventually hindered the rain or shine delivery of the US Mail and the federal government became interested in the outcome. President Grover Cleveland sent in the US Army to nip the strike in the bud. They only had to shoot 13 strikers before everyone went home.

This wasn't a very good political move for a Democrat. It gave union leaders and party members across the nation frowny faces. To make Organized Labor happy again, President Cleveland and the US Congress slammed out a bill (six days after the strike ended) declaring a national holiday celebrating the working man. So, for over a century, on the first Monday of every September, we have celebrated Labor Day.