125 union members at the University of Chicago Medical Center (UCMC) building union began a strike Sunday evening amid lengthy collective bargaining negotiations to protest what workers say are violations of labor laws.
The hospital’s construction workers and suppliers, members of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 73, have been negotiating a new contract with the university for more than six months. The main points of contention, according to union officials, are wage increases to keep pace with inflation, improved benefits and cheaper health insurance.
Following an “overwhelmingly” supportive strike vote earlier this month, workers formed a picket line outside the hospital during a severe storm on July 14. Striking employees include engineers, carpenters, painters, equipment mechanics, earthmovers and skilled workers responsible for receiving and distributing supplies throughout the hospital.
“I am very proud of the work I do here. I love being part of our patients’ healing process. We are the reason our patients get air conditioning, water for showers, working toilets, proper lighting and more,” said Maurice Lee, an engineer with 17 years of experience, at a rally outside the hospital on Monday. “It is an insult that UCMC does not want to pay us fairly when we are the heart of the hospital’s operations.”
According to SEIU, the starting wage for utility workers is currently $18.36 per hour. For comparison, according to MIT’s living wage calculator, the living wage in Chicago is about $23 per hour for a single adult and $41 per hour for an adult with one child.
Reducing health insurance costs is another issue that has stalled negotiations with UCMC. According to Leah Fried, Local 73 campaign director and lead negotiator for this contract, family health insurance costs workers more than $10,000 a year.
“It’s crazy – they work in a hospital and can’t afford family insurance,” Fried said. “There are a lot of people who start at $18 an hour… There’s no way they can afford health insurance at $900 a month.”
During the last collective bargaining session, UCMC management offered a three-year contract worth $2.1 million, according to the union. However, workers argue that the contract does not cover health insurance needs or living expenses and are pushing for an additional $400,000.
In a statement, Ashley Heher, communications director for the University of California, said hospital operations would continue due to the hiring of “replacement staff.”
“In the meantime, UCMC will continue to work with SEIU and a federal mediator in hopes of reaching a new labor agreement that balances the needs of our employees while allowing UCMC to continue to meet the critical medical needs of our patients and all the communities we serve,” Herer said.
In addition to demanding wage and benefit increases, workers are also striking over alleged “bullying and intimidation tactics” used by UCMC management during negotiations that violated labor laws. Those allegations, filed late last month as unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board, include UCMC monitoring union activities, canceling negotiations in retaliation for concerted activity, and failing to provide information relevant to negotiations.
The UCMC did not respond to requests for comment on the allegations of labor law violations.
The strike comes after months of union activity and cutbacks at the hospital.
In February of this year, hospital administrators announced they would cut about 180 jobs, or about 2 percent of the hospital’s 13,000 employees, citing the need to “operate more efficiently.” Those layoffs, an SEIU spokesman told the Herald that same month, were primarily senior management.
In the months that followed, a strike was narrowly avoided when more than 2,800 of the hospital’s nurses signed a new four-year contract with administration and another 1,000 residents and colleagues voted overwhelmingly to form a union.
This strike, workers said on Monday, will continue until a new contract with UCMC is negotiated.
Justin Babitsch, a painter for 12 years and a member of the bargaining committee, said the workers’ proposal to cover the hospital would have been about $100,000, “but they turned it down.”
“They would rather we go on strike and pay temporary workers than agree to a greater share of our rising health insurance costs,” he said.
