UIC: COVID-19 Update – SEIU Local 73

On Monday, March 23rd, we met with management to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on UIC 73 staff. We presented them with demands, 850 signatures from our petition, and member testimonials outlining the needs of UIC staff on the front lines.

Yesterday, management responded to our demands and agreed to the following:

They informed us that “All UIC employees are essential,” and assured us that currently everyone is still being paid.
They have agreed to pay staff who are quarantined or in isolation.
They have agreed to give proper PPE to all staff.

We appreciate this progress and the institution’s willingness to work with us; however, there are still a number of unresolved questions and concerns about department policies and procedures. While the hospital has been communicating with us every day, UIC Human Resources has not yet given us vital information about what is happening in many departments outside of the hospital. Consequently, if you have a health or safety concern in your department it is important that you report it here.

Here are some of the issues that still remain unresolved:

There has been no commitment to a timeframe for how long they will continue to pay staff who aren’t working.
They have failed to provide us a list of who is working at UIC facilities, who is working from home, and who is on paid leave status.
Despite their commitment to provide proper PPE to all staff, many of our members have expressed concerns over a continued shortage of PPE and other necessary supplies.
Management has also not informed anyone what their plan is to protect employees outside of the hospital who still work onsite.

Our work does not stop here. If anything, it has only just begun. Here are three things you can do today to support the fight to protect your fellow UIC workers.

If you have a health or safety concern relating to any of the above issues, please report it here!

Sign the petition and share it with your department! Everything we’ve gained so far is the direct result of members standing united.

If you are not a member, then sign a union membership card today, because when we fight together, we win together.