UChicago Medicine ULP Strike Begins as President Jackiewicz Continues to Not Offer a Complete Package

Building trades and supply chain workers, represented by SEIU Local 73, began an Unfair Labor Practices Strike of UChicago Medicine, to protest management’s bullying and intimidation tactics.

The most recent proposal UCMC management made last Friday amounts to $2.1 million, but fails to address health insurance costs and supply chain quotas. The union’s proposal would ensure wages keep up with the cost of living with more affordable insurance and only cost $2.5 million over three years. UCMC has yet to offer a complete package which would allow us to finalize the contract and end the strike.

“UChicago Medicine is a 4-billion-dollar enterprise that pays its president Tom Jackiewicz $1.7 million a year. They should be bargaining in good faith, not retaliating against these essential workers who keep UCMC running. These workers deserve to be treated with dignity and respect and paid a living wage with affordable health care for their work,” said SEIU Local 73 Executive Vice President Jeff Howard.

“I take a lot of pride in the work that I do here. I love being a part of the healing process for our patients. We’re the reason our patients get air conditioning, water to take showers, working toilets, proper lighting, and more. It is an insult that UCMC does not want to pay us fairly when we are the heart of hospital operations,” said Maurice Lee, Engineer of 16 years.

“Our health insurance proposal would cost UCMC less than $100,000 but they refused. They would rather have us on strike, paying agency workers, instead of agreeing to paying more into our rising health insurance costs,” said Justin Babitsch, Painter of 12 years.

SEIU Local 73 has been running multiple online ads (Ad 1 Ad 2) asking the public contact President Jackiewicz and demand he give the workers a fair contract.

Workers have been bargaining since December with UCMC and have been without a contract since February 3. After record inflation and steep increases in health insurance premiums, workers are seeking:

Pay that keeps up with the cost of living. The entry pay for Supply Workers is $18.36 and the building trades workers are paid between $13-15 less than Cook County prevailing wage).
Affordable health insurance. Since our last contract, workers are paying thousands more each year for health insurance coverage.
Improved benefits. To attract new hires, they seek to improve vacation and overtime. Turnover for supply workers has been 66% and 20-30% for the building trades jobs.
Protections from Quotas in Supply Chain. Workers feel bullied by management who hold them to a two-minute standard to process packages regardless of complexity.

Crain’s Chicago Business: Service workers strike at UChicago Medical Center

Hyde Park Herald: U. of C. Medical Center workers go on strike