Amid protracted collective bargaining negotiations, 125 employees of the University of Chicago Medical Center (UCMC) union are preparing to go on strike next week to protest what workers say are violations of labor laws.
The hospital’s construction and supply chain workers, members of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 73, announced today that they had “overwhelmingly” agreed to an indefinite strike beginning Sunday evening, July 14, if no agreement can be reached with the medical center’s management.
In the July 3 strike announcement, the union said workers had been negotiating with the university for more than six months over a new contract. The main points of contention were wage increases to keep pace with inflation, improved benefits and cheaper health insurance. The workers’ last contract expired in early February, according to SEIU.
“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 at the hospital as an operations engineer for more than 20 years. “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 University of Chicago Medical Campus, June 2024.
Workers preparing for the strike include engineers, carpenters, painters, equipment mechanics, earthmovers and materials specialists responsible for receiving and distributing supplies throughout the hospital.
“We keep UChicago Med running and deserve affordable health insurance for ourselves and our families,” said painter Justin Babitsch.
“Management’s final proposal amounts to a pay cut for us. The meager raises they have offered will be offset by the cost of our health insurance. It is unfortunate that a hospital would treat its employees this way.”
The workers also alleged that UCMC management violated labor laws on multiple occasions during negotiations over the past few months. Those allegations, filed late last month as unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board, include UCMC’s monitoring of union activities, canceling negotiations in retaliation for concerted activity and failing to provide information relevant to negotiations.
The strike vote was preceded by 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.
The UCMC was not available for comment at the time of publication. The article will be updated.
