Jewish Federation Workers Celebrate Better Wages and Benefits at Annual Picnic

On Sunday, July 9, Jewish Federation workers gathered at Chicago’s Welles Park for their annual picnic. Each year, member leaders organize a summer outing that celebrates the power of the unit. This most recent gathering was particularly meaningful, as the members celebrated new wage increases and improved benefits from their contract win in February.

Beginning July 1, all workers covered under the union collective bargaining agreement at JUF, JCC, JCFS, and CJE received a 5% raise, or the new minimum pay for their title based on the new pay charts in the contract, whichever is higher.

In addition, a number of new negotiated benefits went into effect on July 1 including:

• $0 co-pays for mental health services for those enrolled in the health insurance
• Employees earning under $50,000 will now qualify for the lowest healthcare tier (the cap was previously $45,000)
• JCFS and EZRA professional employees who regularly use a second language to provide services to clients now qualify for a $1,800 language differential
• 6 weeks of paid parental leave for JCFS, JCC, JUF, and 4 weeks for CJE
• Increases to paid sick and personal time for many employees
• Increased longevity pay for CJE hourly employees