One hundred and twenty-five union workers in the University of Chicago Medical Center (UCMC) building ended a week-long strike Sunday morning after the ratification of a new contract with the hospital administration.
The hospital’s construction workers and suppliers, members of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 73, have been on strike since July 14 in response to an impasse in negotiations over a new three-year collective bargaining agreement and to protest what workers called labor law violations. The main points of contention over the past six months of negotiations have been wage increases to keep pace with inflation, improved benefits and cheaper health insurance, according to workers and union officials.
“We have made changes and compromises in our contract proposals since negotiations began, but UCMC’s wage proposal does not reflect inflation or the cost of living,” said Charles Matthews, who has worked as an operations engineer at the hospital for more than 20 years, on the first day of the strike last week. “In today’s economy, we are falling behind and our jobs are no longer enough to support us. It’s a shame that we don’t have affordable health insurance even though we work for a major hospital.”
The striking employees included engineers, carpenters, painters, equipment mechanics, gardeners and specialists responsible for receiving and distributing deliveries throughout the hospital.
Currently, supply chain workers earn between $18 and $20 an hour, while construction workers earn between $40 and $45, the latter amount being “well below the going rate,” according to the union. ChicagoFor comparison, the living wage in Chicago is about $23 per hour for a single adult and $41 per hour for an adult with one child. This is according to a study by the MIT living wage calculator.
The new contract, a Local 73 spokesman said in a statement, “is more than UCMC was willing to give and more than they offered before the strike began.”
Specifically, employees will receive an 11 percent raise over three years — compared to the university’s last proposal of 10.75 percent — and an $800 bonus. The contract also includes “clearer language” on holidays, bereavement and advancement opportunities.
However, health care costs, another issue that has stalled negotiations, will not change. Employees across the unit will continue to pay about $900 a month for their family health insurance.
“While the salary increases and bonuses will help mitigate some of these costs, the problem of high health care costs remains an issue that our union will continue to work to resolve on behalf of all workers,” the spokesman said.
The University of Chicago Medical Campus, June 2024.
Despite the compromise on insurance, Justin Babitsch, a painter and member of the bargaining committee, called it “the best contract” he had seen in his 12 years at the hospital.
“Our ULP strike was a strong signal to management for our negotiations on future contracts,” said Babitsch.
In an email to hospital staff announcing the end of the strike Saturday evening, UCMC administrators called the contract a “fair and equitable compromise” and praised negotiators on both sides and a federal mediator who helped finalize the deal.
“We would like to deeply thank all UCMC teams who worked to maintain smooth hospital operations during the week-long strike,” UCMC administrators wrote.
In addition to demanding wage and benefit increases, workers also went on strike over alleged “bullying and intimidation tactics” used by UCMC management during negotiations, in violation of labor laws. These allegations, filed late last month as unfair labor practice (ULP) charges with the National Labor Relations Board, involved UCMC’s monitoring of union activities, cancellation of negotiations in retaliation for concerted activity, and failure to provide information relevant to negotiations.
The union said on Tuesday that the ULPs had been withdrawn as part of the new agreement.
“I have never seen our unit so strong,” said Vincent Muhm, operations engineer, in confirmation. “They know we will never give in to them again.”
Local 73’s ratification of the contract is the latest development in a spate of union organizing at the hospital this year.
In March, a strike was narrowly avoided when more than 2,800 nurses ratified a new four-year treaty with administrators. One and a half months later another 1,000 assistant doctors and fellows voted overwhelmingly in favour of founding a union.
