Unions Protect School Employee Benefits Under COVID

SEIU Local 73 and a coalition of unions representing school employees passed the COVID School Employee Benefit and Wage Protection Bill, HB 2778. The bill now goes on to Governor Pritzker for his signature.

HB 2778 will provide statewide standards for COVID-19 administrative leave for educational employees and supports paycheck protection for non-instructional employees.

“We understand how important it is to ensure workers aren’t exhausting their sick time due to COVID-19 quarantine or isolation,” said Dian Palmer, President of Local 73. “Our thanks to all of the co-sponsors for helping protect school employee benefits.”

Despite ongoing bargaining over the impact of COVID vaccine and testing mandates, many educational employers have been unwilling to negotiate administrative leave for their employees nor allow leave when an employee’s child must quarantine or isolate from school.

“It is through voluntary contributions to political action committee, COPE, that we are able to fight for important legislation like HB 2778,” said Palmer.

Click here to contribute to COPE and strengthen our union’s ability to win critical legislation for our members.