News
Chicago Heights Workers Make Big Gains on Wages, Healthcare
Both the Chicago Heights cafeteria workers and the custodial and maintenance workers made big gains on wages and healthcare in their recent contracts.
For the cafeteria workers, our biggest win was retroactive increases in both wages and hourly adjustments for seniority. The starting wage has been increased to $12/hour retroactive to 2021 increasing to $13/hour in 2023. The hourly adjustments for seniority were as much as $4 more an hour.
Many cafeteria workers have given two decades or more of service to the school district with no recognition for that service.
“We worked long and hard for a fair wage scale increase, so that our members with the most seniority go the pay they deserve. This was a major victory for us all thanks to SEIU Local 73. #UnionStrong” said Rachel Moreno, Bargaining Committee Member and Cafeteria Steward.
In addition, the new contract secured the ability for workers who have maxed out their accumulated sick days to be paid at the end of the year for new sick time they have accrued.
Custodial and maintenance workers won access to family insurance while maintaining single coverage paid for in full by the district for current custodians.
“This was a long, drawn out fight for us,” said Bill Angell, Custodian and Local Council President. “Access to family insurance coverage was a big victory! We couldn’t have gotten that without our union.”
In addition, custodial and maintenance workers secured a 16% wage increase over the four year contract.